Confessions of a Lovesick Viking
by EmmerzK
Summary: How does one propose to the woman he loves? Certainly not the boring, traditional way. Hiccup's got a plan up his sleeve that will begin a tradition of special proposals for years to come. Rated T for romance (nothing dirty!) and possible action/angst later on
1. The Proposal

**Hey guys, welcome to my first HTTYD story :) I have so many awesome ideas for this story; I'm so excited! I've written a few one-shots recently too, so feel free to check those out as well. I guarantee cuteness in this story, so ye have been warned ;)**

**Enjoy!**

**Confessions of a Lovesick Viking**

Hiccup sat at the desk in his room staring at a blank paper, his right hand holding up his face as he tried to think. He wasn't thinking of what to draw or writing down flying or battle tactics, oh no; he was trying to think of something bigger than that.

She already owned axes galore, so that was out. He'd already made her nice headbands or arm bands in the past few years—he didn't want to repeat himself because he couldn't come up with something new. Even taking her on a long flight with just the two of them seemed old and boring—they did that last year.

Whatever he came up with in the end, he was sure she'd be happy and wouldn't complain. But that didn't mean that he'd be satisfied.

Astrid was turning twenty-one next Thursday. Your twenty-first year on Berk meant you'd reached full adulthood and could join the village in tribal meetings but could actually give input from now on; you could be elected into certain offices in the chief council starting at that age; you were allowed to officially get married and have kids. There were tons of benefits to turning twenty-one.

Hiccup had turned twenty-one a few months ago. Being the son of the chief, and the only son at that, Stoick had organized a huge party in his honor. He had been told that the party was typical for heirs of the tribe, but there hadn't been one in so long that he figured Stoick was buttering up the occasion.

But Hiccup didn't want his friends to turn twenty-one and have a mediocre celebration. Just because he was the chief's son didn't mean every other adult should get a pat on the back and be forgotten. He planned to do something special for all of his friends, but the most important person in the group to him, and whose birthday fell first, was Astrid.

A small smile tugged at his lips at the thought of her. Ever since that first day he saw her while at breakfast with his parents, he just knew they would be great friends one day. Little did he know the amount of struggle he'd have to go through to make that friendship reality. Or even better, little did he know as a three-year-old that she would wind up being more to him that just a friend.

But you don't think of those things when you're three.

Their relationship had grown fully over the past six years since he and Toothless ended the war with dragons. The first year or two was full of strengthening their friendship with wisps of awkwardness here and there; they kept their personal feelings mostly to themselves, but it was unmistakable to anyone watching.

But three years ago at Snoggletog Hiccup finally took a leap of manhood and asked her on a date—a real date with just the two of them, no dragons, no villagers, no Ruff and Tuff to blow something up or Snotlout to blow something out of proportion. He'd planned for weeks in advance a great day together, finishing it off at the Snoggletog party. They've been practically inseparable since.

Hiccup blinked out of his thoughts, still staring at the blank page. Sighing he dropped his feather pen into the ink well and flopped his journal closed. Clearly he wasn't getting anything done. He blinked heavily, trying to stay awake but finally rested his head on his arms on top of the desk.

When was the last time he was this tired? What was it, early evening?

He'd trained twenty eight-year-olds with Terrible Terrors from nine til noon that morning with Fishleg's help. Then he had to help Stoick take care of an accidental fire in the village center due to Ruffnut and Tuffnut's little brother Olaf's antics. The little boy was only five and he threw terror into the hearts of all who saw him—the Twins were supposedly worse, but he had his doubts.

Gobber needed his help in the forge most of the afternoon, then after dinner he took an hour flight on Toothless. Then some poor thirteen year old fell into the sea from the cliffs, so there was a mad dash through the ocean to find him. Hiccup found him, but had to dive in and drag him to the surface where Stoick pulled him out and took him to Gothi. The kid was fine, just unconscious from the fall.

And then there was ground work, helping Stoick and Spitelout rebuild the foundation of the building that had burned down earlier that day. He was supposed to help for longer than he did, but Stoick finally noticed his son's apparent exhaustion and made him go home.

Actually thinking it through now, it made sense—he'd been going this much every day for the past few weeks. No wonder he was exhausted. Hopefully his body would get used to being so busy soon.

Arms suddenly moved over his sides and hugged his middle, making him stiffen and sharply inhale. But he exhaled with a smile when the lovely smell of her newly washed hair greeted him.

"Hey you," Astrid whispered in his left ear, making him bite his lip.

He breathed a short laugh and sat up, looking up at her. "Hey, what's up?"

She shrugged, unwrapping her arms from his torso, but didn't move away. "Nothing really, I've just been looking for my boyfriend for countless hours."

He looked away sheepishly. "Sorry, I've been going nonstop all day."

"That's what I heard." She crossed her arms, "You're wearing yourself out and you know it."

"I don't deny it."

"Then maybe you should, I don't know, take a break?"

"Astrid, I'm trying to get used to being busy all the time for a reason." Hiccup reasoned, running a hand through his dark unruly hair. "If I'm going to be chief one day, I have to be able to keep moving all day, every day."

"I know," She looked across the room. "I just hate seeing you look so tired all the time."

He leaned his head on the back of the chair and gazed up at her upside down. "It's all for the greater good. I'll make you a great chief one day." He winked.

"You think so, huh?" Astrid raised an eyebrow, but he could see the corners of her mouth turning upward and the glint of a smile in her eyes.

"Oh I know so."

She smirked, unfolded her arms and wrapped them around his shoulders, clasped her hands under his neck. His heart pumped faster at her touch, but his smile didn't waver. "And how is it that you know so much?" She asked, her face looming over his.

"Because I'm dating the most beautiful girl in the world. Need I say more?"

Astrid smirked and leaned a little closer, her lips ghosting over his, but she whispered, "Prove it."

He smiled and closed the space between them, sighing at her lips on his. Her hands ended up on the sides of his face and he reached up to stroke her cheek. He could stay like this forever, he'd be perfectly content-

"Am I interrupting something?"

Astrid jerked up at Stoick's voice, standing up straight and looking at him standing on the stairs with wide eyes. Hiccup merely sighed and sank lower in his chair, clearly miffed. "Nope. Nothing at all."

"I thought not." Stoick's smirk was unmistakable as his son turned to face him. "There was a rockslide on the mountain near Mulch and Bucket's farm today. I want you to go check it out in the morning, make sure no animals got hurt or killed. Or people."

"I suppose it would be good to check for people too," Hiccup agreed. Astrid flicked him in the side of the head, making him and Stoick share a laugh.

"I'm going to throw some fish on the fire. You want some Astrid?" Stoick asked, turning back to the stairs.

"No that's alright, I'll be heading home; thank you though." Astrid smiled.

Stoick nodded and headed back downstairs, but not before calling, "Don't mind me, continue what you were doing."

"Keep rubbing it in!" Hiccup called, but couldn't hide the grin. This wasn't the first time someone had walked in on one of their kissing sessions. Astrid always seemed flustered by it, but the more it happened, the less Hiccup seemed to be fazed.

Hiccup stood up as she sighed, "Well, guess I better head home. Save some time for me tomorrow okay?" She smiled.

He reached up and moved her bangs out of her left eye, let his fingertips stroke her temple for a moment. "You got it," he whispered before kissing her forehead.

She breathed a laugh but turned toward the stairs. He followed after her, stopping at the doorway. "Want me to walk you home?"

Astrid gave him a 'seriously' look. "Hiccup, I'm perfectly capable of walking myself home."

"Granted, but that doesn't mean you have to." He argued, leaning against the door, effectively blocking her in. Stoick glanced up from the fire with a smile, listening to their banter.

"Don't make me move you," She threatened.

"There's only one way you're getting out this door," He fired back, shrugging his eyebrows at her.

Astrid rolled her eyes, "Oh I think you've gotten enough attention for the day."

Hiccup pouted and gave her the kicked puppy look. She avoided eye contact and tried to pull him from the door—he always killed her with that look. He dug his heel and prosthetic into the floor and pushed back against the door; he matched her in strength now, so it was an equal fight.

"Hiccup really, I have to go home," She huffed, crossing her arms. "And stop looking at me like that."

He only deepened the sad face, earning him a punch in the arm.

"Oww, okay fine, you win," Hiccup chuckled and opened the door for her.

Astrid walked onto the porch and smirked, "I always do. Goodnight Hiccup."

"Goodnight Astrid," He leaned against the doorframe with a smile as she walked into the pale evening light towards the village. He watched her walk away for another minute before going back inside.

Toothless was sitting next to Stoick by the fire when he closed the door. "Hey bud," Hiccup scratched his best friend behind the ear. "Where've you been?"

Toothless snorted and tossed his head in the general direction of the forest. Probably went hunting, Hiccup guessed. He sat down across from his dad and poked at the fire with a metal rod. The two Haddocks were silent for a few minutes before Stoick flipped the sizzling fish and looked at his son. He raised an eyebrow at the goofy smile on Hiccup's face.

"Alright, what are you thinking? Out with it."

Hiccup breathed a smile, but kept poking the fire. He was silent for a few moments before he stopped moving his arm and looked up at his dad. "I love her, dad."

Stoick smiled and checked the fish. "I know you do. You've loved her for longer than you think."

"I don't mean the little kid puppy love, dad," Hiccup replied, eyes back on the fire. "I would do anything for her. If she asked me to jump off a cliff to prove that I loved her, I'd do it."

Toothless growled his disagreement and Hiccup patted his head. "Of course, you'd disagree."

"Yes, I know," Stoick reiterated, putting three fish on one plate, one on the other. Hiccup always did eat light. "Your mother is the one who first said you two would get married one day."

Hiccup stopped in mid-swig of his drink. He swallowed and furrowed his brow, "Really?"

"What, you don't remember that first time you ogled Astrid in the Great Hall?"

"Of course I do," Hiccup looked away in embarrassment.

"Love at first sight."

"I thought she was pretty, but we were three, dad. It wasn't love then. Sure it may have led up to that one day, but it wasn't love."

Stoick rolled his eyes and took a drink of his mead. "The jury's still out."

"Psh…" Hiccup blew his bangs out of his eyes in response.

"So…" Stoick inspected a fish bone for a moment as Hiccup chewed, waiting for him to continue.

"So what?"

"So you should propose to her."

"Huh," Hiccup scoffed, suddenly finding his half-eaten fish more interesting. "Yeah probably…"

"Now don't get all awkward, you said you love her right?"

"Yes?"

"That wasn't a question."

"Yes, I do. Very much so, last I checked."

"Okay then," Stoick held out his hands. "So next step in the process is the proposal."

Hiccup frowned, "I guess you're right, but how does one propose? I've never really thought about it-"

"Well it goes just like this," Stoick leaned forward, gaining his son's full attention. "You walk up to her, you declare your love, ask for her hand, she will promise you many sons and you get married a few months later. Simple."

Hiccup blinked, his mouth slightly ajar. "Erm… don't you think that's kinda… blunt? Traditional? _Boring_?"

"That's how I proposed to your mother."

"And my comment stands."

Stoick sighed, "Only you would want to think up a whole operation. All you need for a proposal is a man and woman bound to each other by a mutual understanding to survive. Or what you might call _love_. Not sure which is more important-"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Mutual understanding. Ha!"

"Don't laugh at the old ways of marriage. It was completely necessary in some situations. But aside from that, just propose to her. You need a wife in order to take over as chief anyway and what better woman to choose?"

Hiccup looked surprised for a second. "What?" Stoick asked.

His son shook his head, "I didn't expect you to think so highly of her." At Stoick's furrowed brow, he quickly added, "Not that I thought you didn't think highly of her, I just figured you approved of us together but I… didn't really think about it."

Stoick shook his head with a smile, "Just keep digging."

"Well ya know…"

Stoick chuckled as Hiccup quietly finished his fish. He suddenly looked up with that look of an idea forming in his mind. "I wonder…" he murmured.

"Oh boy," Stoick said to Toothless. "What's he thinking now?"

"I've been trying to think of a gift for Astrid for the past few days. Her birthday is next week. I wonder-"

"Propose to her on her birthday, it'll make it more special."

Hiccup nodded, "Okay, didn't take long to convince you. But that's not special enough-"

"Hiccup, just propose to the woman! She won't care how you do it, she'll just be happy you did."

"I know, but I like planning special events."

"We could throw a celebratory party for her twenty-first year like we did for you, and then you can propose to her at the end?"

"Nah, that's too original."

"Too original? Hiccup, original is my way of proposing."

"So my comment on that being traditional and boring still stands then."

Stoick avoided that and continued, "It doesn't matter how you propose, no matter what she'll be all squeals and giggles—all women are after being proposed to."

"Uh dad, in case you hadn't noticed, Astrid isn't really into the squeals, giggles and flouncy girl attitude." Hiccup waved his arms around and spoke in a high pitch voice with each word.

Stoick pursed his lips to hide his laugh. "Can you do that again?"

"No." Hiccup ignored his father's hearty laugh, face reddening a bit. Why did he always do stupid, embarrassing things? But he too cracked a smile, rubbing Toothless' nose when he set it on the edge of the fire pit.

"Anyway," Stoick sighed, calming back down. "Do what you want I suppose, but you have a week to prepare. Don't go overboard and don't forget about your responsibilities."

Hiccup nodded distractedly as his father got up from his chair to scrape the fish bones off his plate. His mind was going in a hundred different directions, but one question was at the forefront of his mind:

How does one propose to the woman he loves?

**First chapter done! I've got chapter 2 started; I'll try to get it up for you guys soon, but tomorrow's Monday, that means school (meh) and my brother is coming to visit me at school! Whoo-hoo! So I'll try to get more up to you guys soon, but I won't make any promises on a certain day. That's just silly because I can't guarantee anything haha**

**Feel free to drop me a review! Thanks guys! :)**

**~EmK**


	2. A Gem for His Gem

**Good grief, this chapter is long! Lol But that's good for you guys, means you have more to read ;) More fluff in this chapter and had tons of fun writing it. Enjoy! :)**

**Chapter 2**

"Whoooo-ooo!" Hiccup crowed as he and Toothless flew through the air at top speeds in the mountains of Berk. The sun was just peaking over the rim of the mountains, the morning air was crisp and clean, if slightly muggy—all in all, a gorgeous morning.

Toothless pulled out of the vertical dive and flew along the edge of the mountain by the treetops, looking up and giving his rider a happy coo. Hiccup patted his side, "Good dive, bud. You never cease to amaze me."

Toothless happily shook his head in response. Hiccup smiled, watched the ground below him flash by. Despite his exhaustion the previous night, he was awakened by Toothless before the sun came up but he didn't seem too affected by it yet. He'd gotten a few extra hours of sleep by going to bed early at least.

Soon the rockslide came into view, or what was left of it. "Alright bud, let's land and see if we can find anything." Toothless swooped to the ground and trotted to a stop before Hiccup slid off his left flank. The duo walked through the stone-y wreckage in search of any poor souls—animal or not—caught underneath. Thankfully after a full half-hour search, they found nothing.

"Well, I guess that's that," Hiccup smiled at Toothless. "What do you say we head-" Some loose rock under his prosthetic made him stumble a bit, but he caught his balance quickly. He looked down and kicked a few rocks out of the way as if to tell them to get lost. One curiously colored rock flew into the distance from his kick—of course within seconds he was on his hands and knees in search of it.

Sometimes he could curse his curiosity. He hadn't been blessed with much of a muscular frame or talent with weapons, but he sure drew himself nuts that he couldn't just let something small like a _rock_ go.

But when he finally found it, he gaped at it, turning it over in his hands in shock.

"Gold?"

It wasn't very big; maybe only a couple inches long and an inch wide. Some rock was still stuck to it on a few parts, but it seemed otherwise unfazed. Toothless bent and sniffed the rock before walking away, clearly uninterested. He plopped on his bottom a few feet away, giving Hiccup a bored look.

"Don't look at me like that," Hiccup said, looking back at the gold. "This could be good for us. Or really bad." The last thing Berk needed was daily raids from pirates and other Viking tribes because there was gold in the mountains.

He stood and pocketed the gold nugget, glancing around for more but came up empty. Toothless was soon nudging his back and snorting at him impatiently, obviously ready to leave. "Alright, let's go." Hiccup climbed into the saddle and Toothless took off towards the village.

**Xxx**

"Gold? Here now, lemme see!" Gobber lunged forward, trying to snatch the nugget of gold from Hiccup's hand. Stoick calmly and firmly held his friend back. Gobber always did love gold, which made sense considering he had been working with metal his entire life.

The trio was back in the house, the young adult wanting to tell them about the gold without drawing the attention of the villagers. Toothless lay nearby taking a silent nap.

"Where did you find it, son?" Stoick asked.

"By the edge of the mountain where the rockslide happened. This is all I found, no hurt animals or anything. I could actually show you where whenever you have free time."

"Which translates to never," Gobber smirked.

Hiccup nodded, rolling the gold around in his palm, "Yup, I figured as much."

Stoick frowned, "I don't have time for adventures, you know that. A chief has-"

"Multitudes of responsibilities that he must attend to at all times." Hiccup interrupted using a Viking accent. Gobber laughed and Stoick scowled.

"Don't take it lightly, Hiccup. You'll be taking over someday."

"Yup, I'm aware."

"So instead of searching for _gold_ and other such rubbish,maybe you should, I don't know, be preparing?"

Hiccup deadpanned, "Dad, I'm working on it, but I'm not taking over tomorrow! And besides, I didn't go searching for gold; I did what you told me and found gold on the way. It's cool the things you can find if take time to smell the roses. You should try it sometime."

Gobber stepped between them, "Now ladies, you've both got the prettiest curls, but shouldn't we get back to business? Hiccup found gold, Stoick. Shouldn't that mean something?"

"I'm not sending our men off into the woods and mountains in search for gold, something that can easily sway a man's thoughts and intentions. We don't need to be getting unfriendly visitors because they find out we have gold on our island. Better to leave it alone." Stoick looked at both his son and friend with an equal intensity that basically told them not to go hunting for gold.

Hiccup sighed, "You're right. But what should I do with this?" He held up the gold nugget.

Stoick raised an eyebrow, "It's a little chunk of gold, Hiccup. It can't be worth that much. Just keep it, maybe you'll find something useful for it."

"If I can't sell it to Trader Johann, then what's the point?" Hiccup frowned. He'd hoped to trade off the gold for something cool for Astrid or himself. But like already stated people could sniff out the original location of gold in no time. Berk didn't need war and conflict over a simple metal. Leave that to the stinking Romans.

"Hiccup, I'm insulted. If there's one thing I've taught you to do, it's to make stuff. Make something with it." Gobber poked the boy's forehead. "I'm sure you'll come up with something interesting."

Hiccup silently watched Gobber and his father exit the house, then looked down at the nugget again. He looked at Toothless, who got up and stood next to him, and mused, "What could I possibly make with a little two-inch chunk of gold?"

And suddenly it hit him. He knew what he was going to get Astrid for her birthday. "Come on, bud," He turned and ran out of his house and down the hill, Toothless on his heels. He ran into the forge and began heating up the furnace, excited to get started. But then he paused.

He'd need to do some measurements and figure out how exactly he was going to pull this off. "Hmm…" he mused. Throwing water on the just warming up furnace, he walked out of the forge, Toothless watching him in confusion. "Gotta slow down," Hiccup muttered.

He walked into the village in search of Astrid. People and dragons were milling about as usual, but his gorgeous blonde anywhere in sight. He bit his lip, scanning the crowd.

Hands covered his eyes from behind and someone whispered in his ear, "Guess who?"

He smiled but played along, "Hmm Ruffnut?"

"No."

"Fishlegs?"

"Uh no."

"Snotlout."

A pain bloomed in his arm and he laughed, turning around to face Astrid. "Very funny," she shook her head at him. Before his brain could register anything, her lips were suddenly on his. She already pulled away by the time he did register the kiss; it was very short, but it didn't stop that goofy smile from coming to his face.

"So what're you up to?" she asked.

He casually reached down and took her hand, "Oh nothing much. I maybe have a new small, but unimportant project at the forge that you need not worry yourself with." Hiccup held up her hand to his face as he talked, which she obviously found strange.

"Hiccup, what are you doing?" She frowned, tried to pull her hand away.

"No, just hold still!" Hiccup pulled her hand back and inspected her fingers. _Small, thin… kind of long too, so it needs to be small-_

Astrid watched him looking at her hand with an intensity that could only mean one thing. "What are you up to?"

"Wha?" He suddenly dropped her hand and looked away, "I-I don't knooow what you're-"

"You're hiding something." Astrid poked a finger onto his chest. "And I just may have to do something drastic to get you to confess."

"Oh boy, she's getting feisty," Hiccup snickered, then muttered, "Evacuate!" He quickly began to walk away, but she effortlessly grabbed him by the back of his tunic and pulled him back, his prosthetic leaving a deep skid mark in the dirt.

"What are you hiding? Tell me."

"I can't tell you, it's a surprise!" Hiccup squeaked as his back hit stone wall behind him.

Astrid narrowed her eyes. "Lies."

"No seriously, I can't say… But it's nothing to be suspicious about, I promise." Hiccup smiled genuinely, trying to appease her curiosity.

She raised an eyebrow skeptically and pulled back a step. "Reeeally?"

"Yup. And believe you me, you're going to love it."

"Oh, so you're getting me something?" A smile broke onto her face and her blue eyes lit up in interest.

Hiccup slapped a hand to his forehead. "Agh, don't spoil it, okay?"

"Alright fine, but I'll find a way to get it out of you soon." Astrid sang as she walked back into the square. "See ya later."

"Bye," Hiccup smiled, watched her walk away before he blew a loud sigh of relief, sending his dark red bangs flying off his forehead. "That was close." He jogged back to the forge and went into his workshop, pulling out the gold nugget from his pouch on the desk. He frowned at it as he observed its surface for a hundredth time.

"This'll be fun."

**Xxx**

The rest of the afternoon went by quickly, especially when the horns for an approaching ship reached the ears of the villagers. Already knowing who it was, they all flooded to the docks in excitement to meet Johann and see what new treasures he'd brought to them this year.

Hiccup wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked down at the hardening gold. He was able to get all the offensive rock off the gold and melt it down into its finest form with no impurities. He didn't mind working on it some more, but since Johann was finally here, he knew it could wait. Worst case scenario, he could just reheat the metal.

"Hiccup?"

His heart jumped and he scampered around to a different table, pretending to work on other things. If Astrid saw the gold, her curiosity would spike and she'd surely ask questions. _She's got an eye for the finer things in life_, he thought, then added to his inner monologue, _Myself included, if I say so myself_.

"In here Astrid!" he called just before she walked in.

She put her hands on her hips, "What are you doing? Johann's about to dock his ship and you're in here tinkering."

"Hey, I like tinkering!" Hiccup whined, but gave her a smile and continued trying to pull out a screw from some equipment—the best distraction he could come up with on the fly. Thank Thor it was actually proving difficult.

Astrid watched him struggle for a minute, his face fixed in concentration. She took in his entire form, the way his bangs stuck to his forehead when he sweat, his shoulder and bicep muscles flexing as he worked, or the way he held most of his weight on his right leg to compensate for his left. She smiled when she noticed he was wearing a dirtied white tunic with short-sleeves—she liked it when he wore short-sleeves. It was different than what he grew up wearing and showed off his form more-

"Are you checking me out?"

Astrid blinked out of her train of thought to see him facing her, leaned against the work table, arms crossed with an amused smirk on his face. Usually she'd deny such an accusation, but right now, she didn't feel like it. She cocked her head as if to shrug and smirked back, "So what if I am?"

Hiccup laughed and looked away, shaking his head. "At least you admit it. For once."

"Well it's not like I do it on a reg-"

"Ohhh yes, you do." He held up a single finger in the air to stop her, his smirk growing. "Don't think I haven't noticed."

She gave him a piercing look and sauntered forward, standing in front of him with her arms crossed. "Well if you would stop being so scandalous with those bare arms of yours."

"Ohhh I don't think it's that." Hiccup shook his head. "I think you just can't get enough of all this."

Astrid pursed her lips, "Because saying that just makes you _so_ much more attractive."

"Oh you know it," he winked.

Finally she punched his arm. He flinched, but raised an eyebrow at her. "That's for seducing me." She took in his grin and the spark of mischief in his eyes, and then grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled his lips to hers. She pulled away a moment later, but barely, and whispered, "And that's for everything else."

Hiccup pushed his fingertips into her hair behind her ear as he kissed her again, felt her hands brush on his chest, up his shoulders and intertwine behind his neck. He gently pulled her closer, wishing that he could marry her right at that moment.

"OY!" Gobber's voice suddenly erupted from the doorway.

Astrid flinched, but didn't pull very far away this time. They both looked over sheepishly to see Gobber glaring at them and the young 12-year-old Gustav standing beside him, a look of disgust on his face. "How many times have I told you two that my shop is not your little love bunk?"

Hiccup, still holding Astrid to his chest, hummed, "Umm-"

"Don't answer that!" Gobber fumed, stepping towards them. "I bring little Gustav in here to prepare him for work at the forge, and this is what he has to walk into? Come now, Hiccup, what have you to say for yourself?"

Astrid stepped away, her face tight from trying to not laugh. Hiccup too looked as if he were about to burst out laughing. "Umm…" Hiccup cleared his throat and recovered. "Gustav," He looked at the boy with a smile. "I'm going to give you a piece of advice that you should never forget. Now listen carefully," Gustav nodded and Hiccup glanced at Gobber. "Be wise about your location of choice when kissing your girlfriend."

"Why you little-" Gobber lunged at him, but Hiccup was already out the door, unable to hold down his laughter. Astrid jumped out the top half of the door used for handing in weapons and ran after him down the street toward the docks.

Gobber shook his head and turned back to Gustav. "Sorry about that, lad."

Gustav shrugged, "It's alright. I suppose it could be worse."

Gobber thumped the boy's shoulder. "You're too gracious for your own good."

"As long as they don't end up in my dad's workshop, I have no worries."

Gobber chuckled at the thought of Gustav's dad catching the couple in the back of the meat shed. "Yeah, that wouldn't go over too well."

**Xxx**

"We really need a new location for, uhh, _that_," Hiccup told Astrid as they reached the docks.

"What, we need a special location only for kissing now?" Astrid asked incredulously. "Sometimes, Hiccup…"

"Hey, it was Gobber's idea."

"Gobber's just jealous that we show more love in that forge than he does."

Hiccup snorted, having no response for that.

Astrid shook her head in amusement and pointed towards Johann's ship. "He took longer to get here this year. Do you think he has anything new?"

"I'm sure he's got something interesting." Hiccup replied, secretly hoping Johann would have something beyond interesting.

"Hey, there they are; the lovely couple!" Johann bellowed from his ship, noticing them. The couple waved and trotted down the dock to greet him.

"Hi Johann!" Astrid hugged the man, and Hiccup shook his hand.

"So, any news?" The trader asked. The couple looked at him confused, then he added, "Are there wedding bells in the distance?"

"Oh!" They both said, Astrid smiling at Hiccup, Hiccup rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Yeah, about that-"

"You _are_ still dating right!" Johann blurted.

Many nearby Vikings looking to trade answered him, "YES!" The couple flinched at their shouted, but amused response.

"Is our PDAreally _that_ bad?" Hiccup whispered to Astrid.

Johann chuckled, "I didn't honestly think otherwise. Well go on now, see what you can find!" He all but pushed the blonde and redhead onto his ship without another word.

Astrid went to the weapons and Hiccup looked around at other things, but nothing really caught his eye. Peeking at Astrid to see her distracted, he hopped off the ship and poked Johann in the arm.

"Find something already, lad?" Johann asked.

"Nope, not yet," Hiccup glanced at Astrid, who was still looking at stuff. "I actually have a question for you." He leaned forward and murmured his plans to the older man, who nodded excitedly but thankfully didn't shout for joy. "Guess I spoke a lil' too soon then, eh?"

Hiccup smiled, "I suppose you could say that."

"But now that you ask if there's anything interesting that can assist in your plan, I do have a little something. But it's below in the belly of my ship. Come along." Johann climbed back aboard his ship, Hiccup hot on his heels.

He managed to follow Johann down the stairs without Astrid noticing. Hopefully this wouldn't take long or she'd come looking for him. He looked around in the ship's cargo hold and whistled, "Didn't know you were such a pack-rat, Johann."

Johann laughed, shoving aside a few wooden crates to help them move easier. "Trust me, it's been worse." Johann led him to the back corner of the cargo hold and began unlocking a big wooden chest. "Now Hiccup," he paused after opening the lid. He grasped a small metal box and held it in his hands tightly, as if afraid to drop it. "I've never told anyone about this, so you have to keep it a secret."

"You can trust me," Hiccup nodded.

Johann nodded confidently and opened the lid to reveal…

"Whoa…" Hiccup breathed.

Jewels. Tons of them. There were sapphires, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds of all shapes and sizes.

"Where in Thor's name-"

"Back in my younger days I did a lot of travelling with my father," Johann began, poking his pinkie finger through the jewels as he spoke. "We travelled to Spain, England. He even got himself caught in Rome once. He wasn't rich, but he saved his money; throughout his travels he tried to get some form of trinket from each place, but managed to get a jewel or two from some places. He kept them in here and it was given to me when he passed on."

"Wow," Hiccup breathed. "That's a cool story."

"Yes well," Johann shrugged. "These ole' rocks have been sitting in this box untouched for countless decades. I think it's high time they got some use." He gently held the box out to Hiccup.

Hiccup gaped. "What? Oh Johann, I couldn't take all of these… I don't know what I'd do with them all. Besides, I just need something for Astrid…" He tapered off.

Johann smiled. "I understand; you don't need a whole box of diamonds. So pick one."

Hiccup looked at him, unsure. "What do you want to trade for it? I probably don't have anything nearly as valuable."

Johann shook his head. "Call it a wedding gift." He held the box out again.

Hiccup smiled and took the box, looking at its contents. "I never thought I'd be asking you for help in proposing one day."

"Ah, I consider it a privilege, lad." Johann clapped him on the shoulder. "I'm happy for you."

"Hiccup?"

He jumped at Astrid's voice. Before he could even think of what to say, Johann scooped up a fancy English sword with gold filigree and swiftly walked to the stairs. "Keep shopping," he whispered to Hiccup with a wink. "Astrid, look at what I found in the bowels of this beast."

Hiccup snickered as Johann's voice carried up the stairs. If anyone could interest Astrid in a new weapon, Johann could.

He looked back down in the box of jewels, poking his finger through. If he wanted to make her a ring, setting a diamond on top would surely make it even prettier… but how was he to do that? He was a blacksmith and dragon trainer, not a jeweler. And he hadn't seen many rings in his life.

But he'd figure out a way to make it the most beautiful thing she owned.

Some of the gems were too big and bulky; he didn't want the ring to be uncomfortable… he still had to make the band. Finally his eyes landed on a small diamond—simple, yet beautiful. Out of all the diamonds in the box, that was the one he wanted.

He managed to pick it up in his fingertips and held it there tightly as he returned the box and closed the chest. "Now where to put it…" he mused, staring at it in shock. How much money was sitting in between his fingertips? Perhaps he'd never know. He set the diamond in his palm and closed it, making sure that it wouldn't fall, and made his way up the stairs.

Johann was at the top of the stairs waiting for him when he got there. He held out a very small bag with a grin, "I think you'll need this." Hiccup smiled gratefully and quickly, yet carefully placed the diamond in the bag, and then attached the bag to his belt.

And not a moment too soon.

"Where were you?" Astrid demanded, sporting a new dagger on her belt. She glanced down at the little bag, "What's that?"

"Nothing of consequence," Hiccup replied, sharing a glance with Johann.

Astrid's eyes narrowed as she looked at the two men. "Something fishy is going on around here."

"I can't imagine what," Hiccup quipped. "We're only docked next to the fishing boats."

"Not what I meant."

"I'm sorry for the confusion, but I simply cannot indulge your curiosity at the moment," Hiccup smiled, but it faltered at her glare. "Or your feistiness."

"Astrid, Astrid," Johann placed a hand on her shoulder. "I assure you that whatever is going on, assuming there is in fact something going on, that it is in no way meant to cause you harm, detriment, emotional instability or shame. Trust me on this one. Everything is going to be okay."

Astrid seemed satisfied. "Hm. Okay, if you say so."

Hiccup's face fell, "You couldn't just take my word for it?"

"You're not Johann."

"Who exactly are you dating here?"

"You, but you're too suspicious for your own good." Johann looked back and forth between them with each statement.

"But what about trust?"

"Trust you?"

"Yes, because if you can't trust me, in all honesty this thing is just not going to work."

Astrid gaped and Hiccup blanched. Johann looked shocked. "Wait. No. Nonono, that's not what I meant!" Hiccup flubbed, trying to take it back.

"Hiccup-"

"No I can't believe I just said that-"

"Hiccup."

"That wasn't meant to sound that way!"

"HICCUP!"

"What!?"

He finally noticed her grin and Johann's apparent relief at her expression. Astrid held back a laugh, "It's okay, I know that isn't what you meant."

Hiccup heaved a sigh of relief so loud, people looked at him in annoyment. "Oh, by Odin's beard, I scared myself to death." Johann and Astrid laughed.

"Just keep sticking that foot in your mouth, boy," Johann slapped his arm.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "But seriously." Glancing at the soon-to-be-evening sky, he looked toward the dock. "Well I have to get some stuff done tonight, so I'll see you later Johann. Thanks for everything."

"Anytime Hiccup," Johann waved. "Come back tomorrow, I may have more goodies yet."

"Alright," Hiccup smiled, pecking Astrid on the cheek before jumping onto the dock and heading back to the forge.

Astrid watched him go before turning a look over to Johann, who flinched, "And what goodie did you already give him?"

Johann gulped, but he didn't falter. "Now Astrid, sometimes people have secrets that must be kept. My lips are sealed. But don't press the matter; Hiccup isn't doing anything suspicious. Just be patient and you will soon see just what he has up his sleeve." He patted her shoulder, then made his way over to other villagers.

Astrid looked at the docks heading up to the village, just catching Hiccup disappear at the top. What could he be planning? If she knew anything, it couldn't be something that simple.

**A cookie goes to the person who gets the movie reference ;) Writing Johann was super fun! I've only seen that first episode with him once, and none of the others though, so I hope I got him right. Feel free to leave me a review! More cuteness is coming! :)**

**~EmK**


	3. Distractions

**Hooray for another chapter! This is soooo long! And it was going to be longer so I HAD to chop it… Sorry. Special thanks to the amazing KatieMarie999 for helping me figure out this chapter and the next! I guarantee you guys humor and cute fluff ;D**

**Chapter 3**

"You want me to what now?"

Astrid's mother, Phlegma the Fierce cocked an eyebrow at the auburn-haired young man holding a small mold in his hand.

"I just need you to fit your finger inside so I can see if it fits." Hiccup smiled, holding it out to her.

Phlegma's look of confusion did not falter. "Why?"

"Just taking some measurements. But if you could use your left hand and put in the finger that's third to the left, that'd be great. Yeah that one," Hiccup smiled as she slowly pushed her finger into the mold.

He inwardly whooped for joy; it fit perfectly! Being an individual with a keen eye for detail, he had noticed years ago that one of Astrid and Phlegma's shared traits was their small, slender hands with long, thin fingers. He was taking a risk; if their fingers really didn't match up in size then the ring wouldn't fit Astrid—it would fit her mother. But this was his best shot in finding out without approaching Astrid again. He prayed to Thor that it would fit.

"Okay, now you do something for me," Phlegma crossed her arms, bargaining face on. Hiccup gulped; Astrid so took after her mother.

"O-kay…"

"Oh don't look so scared, it's fairly simple." Phlegma smirked at his nervous expression. "What's this all about?"

"Ahh…" Hiccup squeaked. He hadn't talked to either of Astrid's parents about his plan yet. He had planned to, of course, but it had only been a few days since he decided to embark on this mission. Unfortunately that didn't leave him with much time to talk to her parents either.

He sighed, "Can you keep a secret?"

"From who?"

"Your daughter."

"That depends." Phlegma smirked wider.

"I was afraid you'd say that," Hiccup slumped. He decided to beat around the bush, hoping she wouldn't catch on to any deeper meanings. "I'm planning a surprise for Astrid's birthday. I just… want her to stay surprised is all."

"Oh," Phlegma shrugged. "Well yes, fine; I won't say a thing to her. You made it sound like it was something bigger."

"Well…" Hiccup offered a small smile. "It could be. I did say it was a surprise, right?"

"Hm. Well I love surprises, but just make sure you talk to her father about whatever this surprise is." Phlegma warned. "Olaf doesn't like to be caught off guard, especially concerning his daughter."

Hiccup pursed his lips, but nodded. "Yeah, I'll…I'll talk to him this afternoon." He managed before heading to the door. "Thanks for your time."

"Anytime dear," Phlegma nodded and turned back to sharpening her axe.

He closed the door behind him and stepped off the Hofferson's porch. He looked toward the harbor where surely Mr. Hofferson was working…

He shook his head and hurried to the forge. He had to get the ring started. If it didn't turn out or set right in the molding, he'd have to make a new one. He would talk to Mr. Hofferson later.

Entering the forge, he quickly heat up the fire pit and retrieved the gold. Within the next twenty minutes it was melted down into a red hot, bubbly substance. He carefully poured some of it down into the small molding. He then set it aside with tongs to cool, and thought about what he should do next.

He'd need to attach the diamond to the ring somehow. He hadn't inspected a diamond ring before to see how it was typically done by Southern jewelers. He pulled out his journal and began a sketch of the ring, trying to figure out some way to attach the diamond without it falling off. If it did, there'd be no finding it.

He was so engrossed in his sketch that failed to notice a pair of hands untie his forge apron and retie it to a wooden cart used for carrying tools.

"Hmm…" Hiccup mused, looking over his drawing. He drew a couple metal prongs at the top of the band. With some hot melding of the gold and prongs he'd have to create from leftover gold, he could hopefully place the diamond on top, and then tighten the prongs to hold it in place. He nodded resolutely, hoping this would work. If anything failed, he didn't have an extra diamond like he did the gold.

He took a step forward to check on the hardening metal, but a loud clatter and sharp tug at his back caught his attention. "Wha-" He jerked around and was surprised by more tugging and more clattering—weapons falling to the floor.

A huge sword swung off the cart and very nearly chopped off the toes on his only foot. "Ah!" He yelped, holding out his arms to stay balanced and calm. "Whew…" he breathed. It would not do to lose his other foot.

He finally heard the stifled laughter from nearby. Slapping his arms at his sides, he called, "Alright you two, come untie me."

Tuffnut jumped up and lounged in the shop window. "Nahh, I don't think I will. The troll might because she's a softie, but I won't. As if you weren't clumsy enough, this is too much entertainment."

"Thank you for summing that up."

"Troll? Who're you calling a troll?" Ruffnut stood beside Hiccup, arms crossed.

Hiccup tried to twist and untie himself, but the more he moved the more weapons clattered to the floor. "If it's any consolation, I believe he called you a _soft_ troll."

"SOFT?!" Ruffnut roared. "Oh I'll show you soft!" She launched herself at her brother, running Hiccup over in the process.

"AHH!" Hiccup went flying, as typically klutzy people generally do when body-slammed by a soft troll.

Even at age twenty-one, some things never change.

The crash from inside the forge could be heard down the street, but due to the Thorston twins rolling in the dirt, beating the crud out of each other, the village remained oblivious to the poor Haddock's plight.

Still tied to the cart, Hiccup sat up and sighed. Now he had to clean up the forge of all the weapons. Then he had a thought and smacked his forehead. "IDIOT!" He growled, managing to stand up and pull out his dagger from his belt.

The twins' heads popped up out of the dirt at his outburst. "Who you calling idiot?" Tuff smacked a fist into his palm.

"The idiot who can train dragons and forge a ring out of gold but can't think to cut the stupid apron strings with a knife when he's clearly lying in a battlefield," Hiccup muttered, sawing at the strings of leather and careful not to skewer himself. He'd have to ask Astrid to help him sew those back up.

"Oh yeah!" Tuff jumped back into the forge, Ruffnut following close behind. "We heard about the gold! Can I see? Pretty please with gooseberries and Haddock on top?"

"Why am I on top?" Hiccup asked as he picked up a couple of spears.

"Come on Hiccup, show us the gold!"

"Shh!" Hiccup tried to appease them with calming hand motions, but they scowled.

"Don't do that, I am not a dragon." Ruffnut deadpanned.

Tuffnut looked down at her, "Really? Your butt says otherwise." He received a punch in the face as recompense.

"Ohhh yeah," Tuffnut sniffed, his left cheek swelling with knuckle marks. "Oh yeah, that really clears up the sinuses. Thanks dragon-butt."

Hiccup rolled his eyes as Ruff yanked on her brother's hair. He had to check on the ring but he couldn't with these two maniacs around. Besides he didn't want them blabbing about it, and not just around Astrid—his father didn't want anyone to know about it.

But they'd apparently heard it from someone.

"Where'd you hear about the gold?" he asked, hating to bring it up when they'd forgotten the topic in their lust for each other's pain.

"Gobber," They simultaneously replied, neither looking at him as they kept hitting each other. He was surprised they actually heard him.

"No surprise there." He mused. Hopefully this wouldn't come back to bite him. He glanced outside the forge for someone who could help him lose the twins; he had to keep working before the ring cooled too much in the mold.

Finally he spotted someone. "Fishlegs!"

The stocky man turned from his present location and walked to the forge. "What's going on? Everything uh… okay?" he asked, noticing the bickering twins. They were hard not to notice.

"Sure…" Hiccup glanced at them. "I just have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time and I can't seem to lose them."

"Is this about the gold?"

Hiccup face went slack. Strike two. He was now expecting Astrid to walk in and ask about it, but thankfully she was nowhere in sight. Well, not thankfully; he could use a beautiful face right now-

_Focus, lover-boy._ His subconscious brought him back to reality with the identical maniacs still bickering and Fishlegs standing outside the window awkwardly. Hiccup sighed, "Can you do me a huuuuuge favor?"

Fishlegs sighed and nodded, knowing what was coming, "Sure, I owe you one anyway."

"First off, can you get these two crud-muffins out of my hair, and second, can you distract Astrid? Just do something to keep them all occupied so I can finish my… erm, project."

"Project?" Fishleg's eyes lit up.

"Ugh, _Fii-iish_."

"Alright, aright…" Fishlegs pouted. "Yeah, I'll take care of them all for you."

"Thanks," Hiccup replied gratefully, but frowned. It wasn't fair for him to drop this load on his friend and then not tell him what he was doing. And Fish had really learned the key to keeping a secret since the adventure with the Outcasts a few years ago. He sighed, "Alright, come here."

He pulled Fishlegs down and quickly whispered to him what he was planning for that coming week. The twins didn't notice a thing until Fishlegs squealed in delight like a little girl, "AW REALLY?!"

The twins whipped around, finally realizing they were missing out on something. "What?!" "What's going on?"

Hiccup gave Legs a hard look. "Don't you dare tell a _soul_."

Fishlegs rolled his eyes, "What, that there is treasure down on the western beach that I found and that no one can find it unless a Hideous Zippleback digs it out, who happens to have +18 digging skills?"

Hiccup smirked as the twins nearly tripped over themselves, each screeching, "BARF! BELCH!"

"Fish, I so owe you one."

"Ehh don't mention it," Fishlegs waved off, walking backwards to try to catch up to the twins. "I am so excited for you! Now get to work, I've got you covered!"

And not a moment too soon. Astrid walked into the clearing a moment later, clearly heading for the forge. Hiccup bit his lip, but Fishlegs easily blocked her path.

"Astrid! I need your help!" He wailed quite effectively, Hiccup thought as he watched on from the darkness of the forge. "I went and told the twins that there was treasure on the western beach! They're going to destroy it!"

"Good thing you didn't say the eastern beach. I'm sure Stoick would kill you." Astrid smirked. The eastern side held the docks. "And you need my help because?"

"Because they need to be occupied. Or chaperoned. Or both."

"Why?"

"Because they were driving Hiccup crazy."

"Oh were they?" Astrid glanced to the forge. Hiccup ducked in deeper, hoping she couldn't see him. He didn't think she could though. She smiled, "Well I suppose I can help keep them in line."

"Ohh _thank you_." Fishlegs drawled, legitimately happy that he wouldn't have to face the twins alone. And with Astrid helping, he'd definitely live to see another sunset.

Hiccup exhaled his breath in a big whoosh. "That was close," he murmured, turning back to the mold. "Alright little guy, let's see how you held up."

**Xxx**

"You told them… what exactly?" Astrid asked, her blue eyes wide.

Fishlegs fidgeted. "Well… I may have inexplicably fibbed that there was treasure-"

"Yes, you said that part only eighteen times. This beach is utter chaos! There's one dragon and two people! How bad could it seriously get?!" Astrid spread her arms out to the destruction.

Gaping holes were all over the beach, some only a few feet deep, some deeper. The deepest—20 feet deep and long enough to fit the entire dragon—happened to occupy the two Thorstons and a furiously digging Zippleback.

"You guys are idiots." Astrid shook her head.

"You're just jealous you aren't down here with us!" Tuffnut called. "We're looking for treasure!"

"I don't need treasures of gold and jewels to make me happy." Astrid remarked flatly.

Fishlegs jerked. "Heh…" He quickly cleared his throat and looked down at the twins sternly. Astrid caught his expression change, but didn't question it.

She looked back down at the twins instead. "Guys come on, come back up. These walls are going to cave in, you'll be buried, and how would we get you out exactly?"

"Use your hands, dummy." Ruffnut stated, hands on her hips.

The blonde rolled her eyes, "Oh yeah, because I can dig like a Zippleback."

"Who is one of the best dragons for digging, mind you," Fishlegs added.

"Yeah yeah, bookworm," Tuffnut waved him off. "We'll be f-" The sand began to cave in at just that moment.

"Ah!" Astrid yelped, but Fishlegs yanked her back and they scampered away from the edge.

Barf and Belch grabbed the twins and threw them into the air, far away from the caving-in sand pit. They landed in the shallows of the ocean nearby with a resounding splash. The dragon tried to flap out of the hole, but it couldn't get out in time.

However there was nothing to fear because its necks stretched over the original hole. The creature's two heads stuck up a few feet out of the sand, but that was it. Barf and Belch were surely and undeniably stuck.

Astrid sighed. "Well, you guys got what you wanted. If you truly love this dragon, you'll be digging up a treasure far better than gold."

Ruff and Tuff splashed over and immediately started chucking sand by the handful away from the dragon's necks. They argued over "whose fault this all was anyway" while Fishlegs sighed heavily. "This is going to be a long day."

**Xxx**

"Who knew this gadget could really come in handy one day?" Hiccup mused, hoping no one would walk into his back work room at that moment. He'd tied a few of his spying glasses together by a leather strap, which was tied to the back of his head. The end result was magnifying glasses. Only they were huge and extended several inches off his face, making him look seriously goofy.

If anyone was to walk in and he looked up, he was sure they'd die of laughter. His big green eyes were probably monstrous right now through the front view.

But he had no other option. He'd successfully created the prongs to hold the diamond, so now he was trying to fit it on the band. But the spaces were too small so he'd been forced to bring out the gadget that he figured he'd never end up using.

Setting the diamond on top of the prongs with tweezers, he managed to set the diamond on top and press it down. Now he'd need to tighten the prongs and hope the gem wouldn't pop off and fly to the floor.

It was a good thing he had steady hands.

Another five minutes and he was done, yanking the contraption off his face and rubbing his eyes. He held up the finalized product and sighed heavily, happy to be done.

"Wow," he smiled. To this day his biggest invention was by far Toothless' tail and rigging. But this? The golden band was thin and light, yet it still shone like the day he found it. The diamond set on top was gorgeous like the moment he chose it out of the box of jewels. But together?

"Now I really don't care what anyone says," He told himself, setting it inside a small box and shoving it into a corner of his desk. "But I am the _man_."

He leaned back and stretched, wondering what time it was. It had to be mid-afternoon. His stomach grumbled at the thought—he hadn't eaten since early that morning before flying with Toothless.

He walked out of the forge and nearly fell over. The sunset was unmistakable—it had to be nearly six in the afternoon! So he really hadn't eaten for about twelve hours ago…

"Oh boy," he mused, heading toward the docks. He hoped Mr. Hofferson was still there. He wouldn't talk to him at their home; he didn't want to risk Astrid overhearing. Anyway, he'd hopefully talk to him and then head home for the night. All that forge work on the ring was taxing.

Luck was in his favor and he saw Olaf Hofferson walking up the docks with some other men, clearly done working for the day. Hiccup stood at the top, waiting for him to reach arrive, but he was suddenly panic-stricken.

_What do I say? Hello Mr. Hofferson sir, I'd like to ask for your daughter's hand? No no, that's too formal. I want to marry Astrid. Waddya say? Oh Thor's beard, Hiccup, WAY too casual!_ Hiccup argued with himself mentally. Olaf was nearing the top now. _What do I say? What do I SAY?_

Luck was again in his favor when Olaf slapped his shoulder and boomed, "Hello Hiccup!"

"Ach…Hi!" Hiccup squeaked, then cleared his throat. "Hi," He tried again in a deeper voice, clearly flustered.

"I've been meaning to speak to you," Olaf said, turning to walk towards the cliff nearby so they wouldn't be overheard.

Hiccup gulped. "Really? What about?"

Once a good distance away, the tall, stocky blonde turned back to him. "My daughter. What are your intentions with her?"

Hiccup blinked, trying to catch his meaning. Like, does he mean in general? Or… more than that? He took a deep breath and said, "Well, I was actually coming to talk to you about her. Um. I was going to ask you…" _Here we go_. He stopped fidgeting, stood taller and looked the man in the eye. "I would like to marry her with your permission, sir."

Olaf's face was blank for a moment as he stared back at him. Hiccup grew nervous but he forced himself to hold still and keep his gaze neutral. Okay, maybe a tad bit hopeful.

Maybe more.

Olaf finally drew in a deep breath. "I mean no offense," he began slowly. _And here we go._ Hiccup thought, fearing the worst. "But, though you have grown stronger and a wee bit taller, how are you going to protect her? You're still not cut out to being a Viking warrior, which you have to be to protect a family."

A few sarcastic comments came to mind, but Hiccup silenced them. He instead nodded, "I understand that I'm not normal by any stretch of the imagination. I'm small, I'm strong for a super average person but only because I have to build muscle on a regular basis, not because it's in my genes. I'm not great with weapons…"

He tapered off, but looked the man in the eye again. "But I love your daughter. I'll protect her with every fiber of my being, I won't let her starve or freeze in the cold of winter. I'll be there for her every day until I die." The corner of Olaf's mouth twitched into a slight smile, but he said nothing. Hiccup quietly added with a shrug, "And she'd be the mother of the next chief. Not a bad addition."

Olaf had to smile at that. But he said, "Why are you choosing her? We all know you'll be chief one day and that you'll need a wife; why Astrid?"

Hiccup thought for a moment, and then replied, "When I was a little kid, I thought she was the most beautiful person on the island. That thought has never faltered over the years, but that's not all. She's strong physically and emotionally, she's a proper leader, people and dragons listen to her, she's got a handle on her responsibilities.

But she was also the first person that became my friend. She's not just the girl that I've had puppy eyes over since we were five; she's the girl who became my best friend. Even if we didn't get married, I would do _anything_ for her because I owe so much to her. Other than Toothless, she helped mold me into what I am today."

He paused, and then lightly shrugged. "That's why Astrid."

Olaf seemed transfixed, like he could listen to Hiccup express his love for his only daughter all night, but he cleared his throat and shook his head. "Hmm…"

Hiccup pursed his lips, heart pounding.

Olaf smirked, "I give you my blessing-"

Hiccup nearly squeaked in delight, but Olaf laid a hand on a shoulder and held up a single finger. "But,"

The young man paused, biting his lip. "But, you need to prove to me that you can handle a weapon. It'd be good and quite important for you to know how to properly use one."

"I'm actually pretty decent with a sword, if I may generously remind you?"

"Yes, but something sturdier than that." Olaf raised an eyebrow. "You are good with that, but if you don't have a sword and have to fight you will need to know how to use it."

"So," Hiccup swallowed. "You want me to prove to you that I can learn how to properly use any weapon that is not a sword before proposing to Astrid?"

"Yes." Olaf nodded firmly.

Hiccup sighed, but stuck his hand out with a smile. "Done."

"Done."

"Thank you, sir."

Olaf gave him a thump on the back before walking toward the village, leaving Hiccup standing by the cliff edge. He'd have to learn how to legitimately use a weapon, and _very_ soon. And something told him that a dagger didn't count.

A grin suddenly jumped to his face and he jumped for joy with a fist in the air. "Whoo-hoo!"

"Careful, wouldn't want to lose you over the cliff."

Hiccup jerked to a stop and tried to appear composed as Astrid walked toward him. "Yeahhh, that wouldn't be uh… good."

Astrid giggled and stood in front of him, looking up into his green eyes which gave off a slightly mystical look in contrast to the red sunset behind him. "What've you been doing all day?"

He shrugged, "Just working."

"Mhm, and what got you so excited?"

"I could feel your presence drawing near, and I couldn't help but get excited."

"Lies."

Hiccup grinned and looked down at his shoe, rubbing the back of his neck. Astrid smirked, "Here, let me help you with that." She reached up and ran her fingers along the back of his neck and up into his dark hair.

"Oh getting a little hands-on, are we?"

"Always," Astrid whispered, standing on tiptoes to kiss him.

Hiccup brushed his fingertips across her cheek and up to her temple, her bangs teasing his fingertips until he felt something at the base of her hairline. It felt like…sand?

He gently pulled away and pushed her bangs back. Astrid kissed his cheek and began to move to his jawline, but he (grudgingly) stopped her. "Why's there sand in your hair?"

She suddenly pulled away with a groan. "Is there?" She tipped her head upside down and rubbed her fingers through the loose parts of her braid. Hiccup gaped as sand fell everywhere, leaving a faint white line on the grass below their feet. "Ugh… I have to wash my hair now."

"Hm, sounds good to me," Hiccup smiled. "I like it when you wash your hair."

Astrid raised an eyebrow, "Of course you do."

"Well I don't know what you wash it with but by Odin's beard, it smells good."

"Hmm, maybe one day I'll share the recipe with you." She winked.

Hiccup felt his cheeks warm up again with that look, but he managed to ask, "So you didn't answer my question. Why's there sand in your hair?"

Astrid sighed. "Well a couple of twins decided to let their Zippleback dig a thirty foot hole at the beach, thinking it was a good idea, before the walls collapsed. The twins got out okay but we were digging Barf and Belch out all afternoon."

Hiccup internally winced. "Aw I'm sorry." He bent forward and kissed her between the eyes.

"It would've been more fun if you had been there," she murmured.

"Sorry, I had stuff to do."

"What sort of stuff?"

"Super important stuff."

Astrid pouted. "Why can't I know about it?"

"Because it's special."

"And I'm not special enough to know about it?" She dared.

"Oh no, you're the most special. You're-"

"But I'm not the _first_ to know what it is, so how can I be the most special if you didn't tell me first?"

Hiccup closed his mouth. He didn't know what to say. Was she really this offended?

A bell rang in the distance. Astrid looked off toward the village and Hiccup's heart sank. That was Phlegma's dinner bell, telling her daughter and husband to come home soon or she'd eat without them. He didn't want her to leave yet.

Astrid sighed and looked back up at him. "I just feel like we haven't done anything in a while. You're always so… busy with something." She crossed her arms and looked away.

"Hey," Hiccup smiled a little and placed a few fingers under her chin, raising her face up to his. He bent down and kissed her chastely on the lips. "I'll make it up to you soon. We'll do something you'll never forget."

Astrid cocked an eyebrow, "Promise?"

Hiccup held her neck in his hands and kissed her again, longer, firmer. "With my every breath."

Astrid smiled yet didn't open her eyes, but held his hands on her neck and rested her forehead on his chest. The bell went off again, more earnestly this time, and she exhaled. "I gotta go…I'll come to your house later."

"Okay," Hiccup nodded and let her go.

Astrid walked away a few steps before stopping. She turned around, ran back and quickly kissed his cheek before sprinting off to the village. Hiccup sighed happily as he watched her run home. "With my every breath."

**The next chapter guys is going to be so funny on so many levels. I would've had it up for you with all of this, but I had to cut 'em in half. It would've ended up over 25 pages and I just can't write that much right now. One more week til Thanksgiving Break (WHOOOOO!) but I have to get all my school work done before then…**

**Anywho, please leave me a review to let me know what you think! Thanks guys, so glad you're enjoying my stories so far! :)**

**~EmK**


	4. The Singing Insomniac

**Ladies and gents… BRACE YOURSELVES. KatieMarie999 and I had a RIOT collaborating on this and by Odin's bead assuming he were real and had one, this is hilarious!**

**At least I think so ;) Onward!**

**Chapter 4**

The sky was beginning to turn purple with the dwindling hour when Hiccup got to his house. As he neared the top of the hill, his stomach grumbled and his exhaustion made itself known. Toothless bounded up to him from the porch, knocking him to the ground and licking his face.

"Ughhh Toothless!" he laughed, trying to shove the black creature off his chest. "Come on bud, let me up." Toothless relented and helped Hiccup back onto his feet. The duo walked into the house, Hiccup firmly closing the door behind him.

He deeply inhaled the smell of salmon roasting over the fire. "Ahh fooooood."

Stoick cocked an eyebrow at him. "You alright, son? You look a little… peeky."

"Haven't eaten all day," Hiccup whined as he got himself a drink of water and nearly drank the whole mug in one swig.

"Don't hurt yourself, I'm not going to take it away from you," Stoick chuckled, plating the fish. Good thing he'd decided to make extra; Hiccup might want more than one fish tonight. "Anyway, you were in the forge all day?"

Hiccup sat across from him and nodded. "Yeah, I finally got the ring made today. It looks great."

"Ring?"

"Oh yeah," Hiccup rolled his eyes at himself. "Didn't tell you my plan. I made a ring for Astrid."

"Oh that," Stoick nodded. "Gobber told me what you were planning."

"Hopefully Gobber hasn't told anyone else," Hiccup muttered through a mouthful.

"Nah he hates it when people ruin surprises. You should be good, considering how big this one is." Stoick replied, then frowned. "Would ya slow down, ya're going to hurt yourself."

Hiccup had to smile but it was difficult with a full mouth. He held up a finger, trying not to laugh. _I will not choke._

Stoick rolled his eyes and kept working on his dinner, giving Hiccup time to chew. He finally swallowed, took a drink, and looked back up at him. "I haven't eaten since nearly five thirty this morning. Don't judge."

"Oh I could beat you in a food eating contest."

"By amount I have no doubts. But by pure skill of stuffing? Nah."

"I'd say let's go, but I'd rather not." Stoick replied, effectively squishing his son's competitive smirk.

"What?" Hiccup frowned. "You can't just get me worked up about a competition and then smush it."

"I just did." Stoick smirked. "And I'm the chief, so I win."

"Pshh…" Hiccup grumbled, then he looked up evilly, eyes narrow and a clear defiant smirk. "I could bump you off."

Stoick's brow furrowed. "Try me."

Hiccup met his stare and lastly nearly ten seconds but he finally had to look away. "Okay, yup; you win." Stoick smirked in response. "So…" Hiccup changed the topic, plating himself another fish and eating it slower this time. "I need a weapon."

Stoick's eyes lit up. "Thor Almighty, he finally sees the light."

"It's not-"

"You need a club."

"A _club,_ dad?" Hiccup gaped as his dad stood and hurried to a chest by the stairs. "Come now, I've built some muscle but you can't be serious!"

"You never forget your first club." Stoick stood, proudly wielding a club nearly twice his son's arm length and wider than his head.

Stoick dropped the club in front of Hiccup, effectively smashing his remaining fish and plate. Hiccup gaped at it. "Erm- dad?"

"Yes?"

"I just need something easy for me to show-"

"Easy? We're Vikings, Hiccup. We don't _do_ easy!"

"-to show Mr. Hofferson that I can indeed wield a weapon. I'd like to live to see my wedding day if that's okay with you."

Stoick paused. "Wait… what?" The two men failed to notice Toothless' head on the table, his tongue trying to nab a fish off the plate on the table.

Hiccup sighed, "Mr. Hofferson wants me to prove to him that I can handle a weapon before I propose to Astrid. Besides a sword that is, since I can do that."

"Ah," Stoick nodded. "A worthy challenge. You're lucky he didn't come up with something harsher."

"I was thinking my next best thing would be archery…"

"Archery? You can't be serious, just use the club."

"Just use the club, he says," Hiccup said in mock Viking accent to Toothless. "The man's clearly lost his mind." Toothless snorted in response, and returned to trying to snatch the fish off the center plate.

"Come on, son," Stoick stood and picked Hiccup up by the shoulders. "Thor's beard, when did you get so heavy?"

"Why does no one believe me when I say I've actually gained some muscle?"

"Then you'll have no problem throwing a club. Pick it up and give it a good swing."

Hiccup tried to argue, but Stoick wouldn't hear it. "No, just give it a shot! It's a good weapon!"

"Ughh…" Hiccup frowned at the weapon. Clubs were as savage and old-fashioned as you could get. He grasped the handle and picked it up, but still strained under its weight.

"There ya go. Now just-"

"Gah this thing weighs like forty pounds!"

"Stop being a wimp. Just give it a good swing."

Hiccup scowled at the word 'wimp', but said nothing. "And what exactly am I supposed to hit?"

"Can we just focus on swinging it and not hitting anything yet? No more questions, just swing it!"

Hiccup tried to hold the weapon up by one hand as he threw the other out in frustration, "Dad, a club is not my weapon of-" He jerked when the club began to sway. He grasped the handle with both hands but it came back toward his face with a definite, hardy swing. It hit him in the temple beside his right eye with a doleful clunk and Stoick honestly winced. "Owww…choice. Oww…"

The young Viking leaned on the handle of the club, giving up on it already, and holding his face. "Oh gods that hurt…"

"It did thunk you pretty good." Stoick admitted and heavily sighed. "Alright Bertha… you and Hiccup just aren't meant to be."

"B…Bertha?" Hiccup winced, finally letting his hand fall.

"Is there a problem?" Stoick asked, placing her on the table.

"Nahh…" Hiccup shook his head.

Toothless nudged his arm as if to ask if he was okay. "Yeah, I'm alright bud. If I can lose a leg at fifteen and survive, I can take a bludgeon to the head. But for the record," he pointed at Stoick. "This is all your fault."

Stoick rolled his eyes, "Oh you're fine."

"Mmm not really," Hiccup winced, touching his temple again. "I feel woozy." He walked over to one of their wooden benches and flopped back on it. Covering his eyes with his arm, he muttered, "Wake me up in the morning."

Stoick raised an eyebrow but said nothing. A knock at the door interrupted any response he may have had. Hiccup moaned in annoyance and Stoick opened the door.

"Oh, come in Astrid."

"Thanks."

Astrid strode through the door, scratched Toothless on the nose and looked around for Hiccup. She was shocked to find him lying on a bench looking utterly exhausted. "Hiccup, you okay?"

"My club's face hit me with the dad…" he muttered.

Astrid and Stoick shared a look. "What?" she asked, sitting behind his head and looking down at him.

"My face's club hit me with the dad. Don't…make me repeat…that."

Astrid glanced up, saw the club lying on the table and Stoick looking rather stoic yet a tiny bit guilty. She got the idea. "Where'd he get hit?"

Stoick tapped his right temple with pursed lips.

Astrid pulled Hiccup's arm away from his eyes. "Look at me. Hiccup, I want to see your face now look at me."

"Mmm donnnnt wannnnnt tooooooo… wanna sleeeeep." Hiccup whined, but moved his arm. He moved it so fast and sluggishly he nearly slapped her in the face, but she caught his wrist.

"Now stop whining-"

"Whoaaaa!" Hiccup's eyes suddenly widened. "Astrid, there are spots on your face!"

It was Astrid's eyes turn to widen. "This can't be good…"

"Cool, there are spots everywhere…" Hiccup's eyes narrowed and he raised an arm toward the ceiling, pinching his fingers at various spots.

Astrid looked up at Stoick, who's eyebrows were raised high, shock clear on his face. He then said, "To the healer."

Astrid nodded resolutely and placed an arm under Hiccup's shoulders, trying to sit him up. "Come on, you,"

"Man you are _feisty_ today."

"Don't make me slap you."

"Is Toothless pink or blue?" He suddenly asked, finally standing and Astrid leading him to the door. "No wait! He's…" He spun around, nearly knocking Astrid over. Where'd this newfound strength come from? He pointed at Toothless, face screwed up in concentration. "Noo.. I can't remember… what color…ow my head hurts. Why does my head hurt? Why are there spots everywhere?"

"Hush son, let's just get you to Elder Gothi." Stoick managed to get him out the door, Astrid and Toothless following closely.

Hiccup screeched to a halt. "I don't wannnna…"

"You have to, you're not thinking clearly."

"I'm tired, just let me sleep-"

"Nope, no sleeping," Astrid wrapped her arm around his and tried to make him walk forward, but his stubbornness won out. He wouldn't budge, even with Toothless nudging him from behind.

"Aaaastriiiiiiiid!" Hiccup was shouting now.

Astrid stood closer to him and said, "I'll give you a kiss when we get there."

That shut him up and they were soon walking.

Stoick leaned down to whisper to her. "Well you have a way of persuading him."

Astrid rolled her eyes with a light laugh. "Assuming he remembers by the time we get there. Which I doubt."

"Whoaaa, is he drunk?" A voice asked. Ruffnut and Tuffnut emerged from a side street a moment later.

"No, he just clubbed himself in the head. We're taking him to Elder Gothi; we think he has a concussion." Stoick informed.

"Coooool!" They high-fived.

Hiccup put his face in his hands and whimpered. "So many spots…"

"Now what're you two doing out?" Astrid asked, having had enough of them that day.

"We're heading home. We're just as tired as you. Sand is a taxing… dirt." Ruffnut saluted as she walked by. "Have fun with battered-brains." Tuffnut soon followed after her without another word.

Astrid shook her head and pulled Hiccup forward, who was muttering something about his head. "Come on, Hiccup, we're almost there," she gently told him.

A few minutes later they arrived and Gothi was looking into his eyes as best she could with her candles. She soon shook her head and tisked her tongue.

"How bad is it?" Astrid asked, biting her lip.

Stoick read her drawings on the floor. "He definitely has a concussion. He can't sleep tonight but he definitely needs to relax. He can't batter his brain any more than he has."

"So he really hit himself pretty good then…" Astrid sighed, running her hand through Hiccup's hair when he rested his head on her shoulder with a whine. "So who's going to keep him up?"

Stoick sighed, "I will-"

Gothi shook her head vehemently and she didn't have to write in the dirt to explain why. He'd been working since that early morning, as always; he needed his rest for the next day.

"I could?" Astrid offered, but Gothi and Stoick both shook their heads. Gothi because she wanted an adult to watch him; Stoick because he wouldn't want Hiccup to accidentally blab about the proposal in his state. Astrid frowned but didn't argue. "Well who then?"

The trio thought for a few minutes before Stoick snapped his fingers. "Gobber."

**Xxx**

"So he's not allowed to sleep but he has to stay relaxed." Gobber relayed before his chief and blonde friend left his home. "You do realize this is a little backwards, don't ya?"

"If he falls asleep his brain could shut down, Gobber," Astrid reminded him. "But he can't hit his head again or he'll hurt himself more. Just keep him calm; you'll be fine."

"Yeah yeah…" Gobber nodded. "Alright, I'll see ya in the mornin' then."

Stoick thanked him and left to go home and get some rest. Astrid walked past Gobber and planted a kiss on Hiccup's cheek and promising, "I'll see you in the morning," before also leaving.

Once alone with Hiccup and Toothless, Gobber sat in his favorite lounge chair. The room was silent for a minute before Hiccup began laughing at nothing. It started out as small giggles, but soon he was whole-heartedly laughing at absolutely nothing.

Gobber sighed but had to smile, "This is going to be a long night. Hiccup, what're you laughing at?"

"Your face is weird."

Gobber blustered for a minute, making Hiccup laugh harder. Toothless looked between the humans with a look of pure confusion, especially at his currently incapacitated rider.

Hiccup paused for a moment, "I think it would behoove you to look in a mirror. HAHA You're face!" Hiccup sank into his chair, his hands covering his face and his shoulders shaking, tears of mirth running down his face.

Gobber mouth the word "behoove" and shrugged. He stared at Hiccup for another minute, sharing a few glances with Toothless. Hiccup's laughter gradually died down and Gobber dared to ask, "You done?"

"Whoo, yeah…" Hiccup smiled contentedly, looking at the ceiling with a daydream-y look. "Laughing is great, you should try it some time."

"I laugh plenty. Inside." Gobber replied, lifting his mug to his lips. "Now you, on the other hand? You are just purely strange entertainment."

"What you mean is not like you," Hiccup sniffed. "You think I'm an ignorant savage and you've been so many places, I guess it must be so."

Gobber spit his drink out, "What?"

Hiccup stood up, walked in a wobbly, almost drunken state over to Gobber and pointed a finger into his face, "But still I cannot see if the savage one is me, then how can there be so much that you don't know, Gobber?" He dropped his voice to a mere whisper, "You don't know!"

"What. Are you. Talkin' about?" Gobber stared at him in shock.

Hiccup lumbered to a barrel holding weapons by the front door and grabbed a spear, slamming the hilt into the floor. "You think you own whatever land you land on."

"Hiccup, I didn't say anything about land... what are you on about?"

"The earth is just a dead thing you can claim," Hiccup poked a potted flower on the windowsill. "But I know every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name." Hiccup placed a hand on his chest as if he said something profound.

"Rocks are alive?"

Hiccup gave him a steady, firm gaze akin to Stoick's when commanding someone to be quiet and just listen; Gobber closed his mouth. He continued on his spiel, "But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger you'll learn things you never knew, you never knew."

"I'm quite happy with my own foot right now. Hiccup, maybe you should sit down."

Hiccup suddenly dropped the spear, nearly dropping it on Toothless' tail, and ran up to Gobber, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon? Or asked the grinning bobcat why he grinned?"

"No because then I would sound about as crazy as you are right now!" Gobber leaned away, swatting Hiccup's hands. "And what's corn? What's a bobcat?"

Hiccup let the shirt go and began spinning in wide, clumsy circles with his arms outstretched. "Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains?"

"Okay now you're singing. Hiccup, stop singing? WHY ARE YOU SINGING?"

"Can you paint with all the colors of the wind," Hiccup continued singing at a high pitch and his voice awkwardly cracking. But he paid no notice. "Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?" He swooped his arm across the air as if seeing something.

Gobber gaped at him, at a loss for words. Then he suddenly had a thought; he slowly grabbed a journal he kept near his chair to write down anything that might rarely come in handy—which was now in this case. He began scribbling down Hiccup's words as he continued,

"Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest!" Hiccup grabbed a basket of berries off the table and started throwing them at Gobber. "Come taste the sun sweet berries of the earth."

"Oy! Those took me hours to pick-" Gobber stopped when Toothless jumped in the air, happily catching the luscious berries and only adding to the madness. Gobber shook his head and kept writing.

Hiccup then dropped the basket and started rolling around on the floor as he sang, "Come roll in all the riches all around you and for once, never wonder what they're worth," Toothless slammed onto the floor with him, tongue hanging out as he rolled around, agreeing with Hiccup that the wooden floor was good for a back scratch.

"The windstorm and the river are my brothers; the heron and the otter are my friends,"

Gobber pursed his lips, "...you should probably talk to your father about that."

Hiccup then grabbed Gobber's hands and stared deep into his eyes, "And we are all connected to each other in a circle, in a hoop that never ends,"

"Uhh okay Hiccup, now this is very uncomfortable."

Hiccup let go of his hands and gestured upward to the ceiling, "How high does a sycamore grow? If you cut it down then you'll never know…"

Gobber merely stared at him now, wincing when his voice cracked on the high notes.

"And you'll never hear the wolf cry to the blue corn moon, For whether we are white or copper skinned," Hiccup jumped onto his bed across the room and lifted his hands to the sky. "We need to sing with all the voices of the mountains; We need to paint with all the colors of the wind," He washed his hand through the air again.

He jumped back down, grabbed a handful of dirt from the flower pot and handed it to Gobber, "You can own the Earth and still all you'll own is Earth until you can paint with all the colors of the wind!"

Hiccup finally silenced, panting, then suddenly realized Toothless was slurping berries off the floor. He watched him carefully, unsure if this was a good thing for the dragon to be doing. Or… blast, what color was he?

Gobber was staring at the twenty-one year old with a newfound opinion. Should he clap? Should he laugh?

Should he call Stoick and the healer and say Hiccup had officially lost his marbles?

"Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain-" Hiccup lightly sang to himself at a lower key as he rolled a berry between his fingers. He had plopped himself down on the floor beside Toothless, now licking his chops of berry juice. Gobber took a mental note that Hiccup actually didn't have a half-bad voice… when he sung in the proper range he was meant to sing in.

But instead of voicing these thoughts, he said, "Hiccup, no more of that…whatever that was."

"What? My song?" Hiccup yawned, rubbing his eye. "Can I go to bed now?"

"Nope."

"But whyyyyyy…" He whined flopping back onto the floor. Gobber jerked when he bumped his head but he didn't seem to be affected.

Hopefully.

"Because if you fall asleep you might not wake up for a long time," Gobber advised. "Now sit up. Let's play a game or some-"

"Oh!" Hiccup jumped up, wobbling a bit. "I can teach you the song of my people! Come!" He grabbed Gobber's hands and tried to pull him out of his chair.

Gobber looked apalled. "What?! This is most definitely not the song of _our _people! Maybe whatever country _you_ came from, but not-"

"Come on, Gobber!" Hiccup whined again, pouting. Wow, how he looked and sounded like a 4-year-old when he whined. Now those were the good ole days; the simple life.

Gobber sighed and stood up, "I'm going to regret this."

"WHOOHOO!" Hiccup crowed, throwing a fist in the air and nearly knocking Gobber's teeth out.

"Easy there-"

"Okay Gobber, now repeat after me," Hiccup smiled and placed Gobber's hands on his chest. Gobber raised an eyebrow, afraid of what he'd say next. He gulped and nodded and Hiccup smiled, placing his own hands on his chest. "I am an experienced metal worker."

Gobber pursed his lips and repeated. "I am an experienced metal worker."

"I do not run from my problems, but confront them face to face."

"What is this!?" Gobber exclaimed. "This is nonsense-"

"SHHH!" Hiccup jumped forward and covered his mouth with wide eyes. He looked around warily then gently whispered, "They can hear you."

Gobber's eyes darted around the room for a moment. Hiccup removed his hand and said, "Okay, let's try this again. I am an experienced metal worker."

Gobber sighed, "Oh Odin, help me…"

**Xxx**

Astrid trudged through the village toward Gobber's house the next morning. She wondered how well they got on last night and if Hiccup caused any problems. As long as he was occupied with something, it was sure to be fine. Right?

As she neared Gobber's house she heard a couple of men's voices shouting, but she didn't think anything of it until she got close and found Snotlout standing in front of the house with his mouth gaping.

"Hey, 'Lout…" Astrid poked his arm. "You okay?"

"Shh," Snotlout whispered, and pointed to the house. "Listen…"

Astrid did listen, and what she heard shocked her, and she would ever forget it.

"CAN YOU SING WITH ALL THE VOICES OF THE MOUNTAIN!?" Hiccup and Gobber shouted from somewhere inside the house. "CAN YOU PAINT WITH ALL THE COLORS OF THE WIIIIIIIND!?"

"Oh Freya alive…" Astrid slapped a hand to her forehead. "If Gobber let him drink on top of it, we're doomed."

Snotlout finally burst out laughing. "What is going on?!"

"Long story short, Hiccup has a concussion and Gobber stayed up with him all night." She sighed and walked towards the door. "Alright, let's see the damage."

Astrid pushed the door open with her foot and nearly fell over. Snotlout snorted into his hand and tried to contain himself.

Toothless was dangling upside from his tail by the rafters, as per usual. But… he was painted all colors of the rainbow. Stripes, polka dots, random slabs of color… How he let them do this to him was a mystery.

But the real mystery was the equally paint spattered Hiccup and Gobber holding hands and dancing on the top of Gobber's kitchen table, both shout-singing, "AND YOU'LL NEVER HEAR THE WOLF CRY-"

"What in Thor's name is going ON!?" Astrid finally erupted. Snotlout finally blew up in laughter and slumped to the floor, nearly crying.

Hiccup looked over at her and gasped. "Astrid!" He jumped down from the table and began talking to her a mile a minute, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're here, how long has it been? Wait no, don't tell me… My brothers will tell me instead-"

"What?" Astrid gaped, ignoring Snotlout's laughter.

"Yeah, apparently he has brothers," Gobber interjected. "Apparently they're the windstorm and the river."

Astrid and Snotlout both looked at him like he was insane. The blonde finally slapped herself in the face. "Gods, why did I ever think this was a good idea? He's more bonkers than when we left him!" With a loud sigh she grabbed Hiccup's hand and dragged him out. "Come on, Hiccup. Let's get all that paint off of you. You too, Toothless!"

"Bye!" Gobber waved with a yawn. He slumped into his chair and blinked lazily at Snotlout. "Whew, what a night."

Snotlout snorted, watching Toothless follow the couple out, "Yeah looks like it was… um, fun." He looked back at Gobber but he was already snoring. Shaking his head, he headed for the door to see if the Twins had any morning mischief brewing.

Before exiting the door, he noticed a journal lying on the floor near a pile of smushed berries. He picked it up and read through the lines.

"Oh. Mother of Thor." Snotlout whispered. "This is the best thing I have ever found." He then sprinted out of the house in search of his other friends in order to spread his master evil.

**Okay okay, so kinda corny but it was funny right? Please tell me if anyone else laughed besides me as I finish writing this chapter at 1 in the morning Lol But this is something that no one on the island of Berk is EVER going to let Hiccup live down, and maybe even Gobber. This is not the last you will see of Colors of the Wind, I assure you ;)**

**Anywho, please leave me a review! Thanks so much for all your previous reviews so far guys, I'm totally excited that you guys like this so much :)**

**Also, new HTTYD2 poster comes out today! EEP! I'm trying to keep calm here… Impossible I know. June come faster!**

**Well enough rambling outta me. Thanks for reading, drop me a review and I'll get working on the next chapter! Five days til Thanksgiving Break!**

**~EmK**


	5. Hiccup Horrendous' Hammock

**Guys, I am so happy with your responses for last chapter! I'm so glad you enjoyed it ;D Thanks so much for all the support! You'll probably chuckle a little with this chapter too, and then there's some cute fluff.**

**And here's a shoutout to my awesome writing buddy KatieMarie999, for writing most of the funny section of this chapter! ;D Feel free to read her stories too guys, they're really really good!**

**Anywho, enough of my gab. Get crackin! ;D**

**Chapter 5**

Astrid rolled her eyes as she pulled Hiccup deeper into the woods, trying to ignore his whining and complaining. The guy was exhausted, practically delirious, and she didn't know if he was allowed to go to sleep yet. The healer was busy with a mother giving birth earlier that morning too, so she couldn't take Hiccup to her yet.

They reached the cove and walked over to the water. Hiccup let go of her hand and he stood there, still whining, "Why are we here? I don't wanna-"

"I don't wanna, wah wah wah," Astrid turned around and started pulling the few daggers he had on him off and dropped them to the ground. "Would you just relax? I'll let you sleep soon, but you're not going back into that village with all this paint on you."

"Paint?" Hiccup moaned, looking down at himself. "What paint?"

"Colors of the Wind, remember?" Astrid asked him, pulling off his leather vest. If it got wet and he found out later, he'd kill her. As much as she thought his flight suit was weird and extremely nerdy, she recognized his hard work long ago. She wouldn't be so careless as to ruin the leather.

Hiccup frowned at her tossing his vest to the ground with his weapons. "Colors… Wind? Whaaaat?" He put a hand to his face and slouched.

Astrid stopped in the middle of taking off one of his bracers. "Hey," She hugged him gently, "You're fine-"

"My head hurts…"

"I know, so let's get this paint off of you and we can go home. Okay?"

Before Hiccup could respond, a resounding splash sounded from behind them. The couple was soon soaked with a tidal wave, a result that could only come from a certain Night Fury diving in the water.

"Ugh, Toothless," Astrid frowned, shaking water off her arms. "I didn't want to get-" She stopped when Toothless flopped around, rubbing his scales on the bed of rocks under the surface. More waves came up and splashed the couple. "-wet."

"Whoaaa…" Hiccup murmured. She looked at him smearing red paint on his hand. "Why am I bleeding?"

"You're not. It's paint." Astrid rolled her eyes. "At least you better not be bleeding. Again. Now come here-"

"WAHH!" Hiccup yelped when Astrid pushed him toward the water. He tripped on a rock and nearly fell face first into the water.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Clumsy." She bent down and began rubbing the paint off his arms as he sat there, not caring that his clothes were soaked.

He looked over at her and gave her a small smile. "Thanks…"

Astrid glanced up from his left arm, "Back to the land of the living, are you?"

Hiccup sighed, gently rubbing the bruised side of his head. "I dunno…we'll see."

Astrid smiled lightly, switching to his other arm. "Well I hope you are, because I miss my boyfriend." Hiccup breathed a laugh but didn't respond.

Toothless swam up to them and licked Hiccup in the face, slicking his hair up on one side. "Mehhh Toothleeeeeeess."

The dragon gave off a small, dragon-like laugh deep in his chest, making Astrid giggle. "You know you love him. Just like I love you." Astrid kissed Hiccup's cheek, but he didn't notice as he was trying to fix his already crazy hair. He was only making it worse.

It took a few hours but Astrid finally managed to get all the paint off of him and Toothless. She then went to take Hiccup home to let him rest, but it turned out that Stoick needed him in the Great Hall for a council meeting. She tried to tell the chief that his son was still not quite coherent, but Stoick insisted. At least Hiccup's clothes had dried on the long, slow walk back to the village.

So there they sat in the Great Hall, Hiccup burying his face in his hands as every sound pounded in his ears. The rest of their friends joined Astrid and Hiccup at their usual table. Any normal person could see that Hiccup wasn't well, but the only person that would allow him to be dismissed seemed to not notice.

"Alright," Stoick's voice boomed. "Harvest time is almost upon us. How are we doing on crop numbers and animals?"

Various men and women responded with numbers and amounts while Astrid rubbed Hiccup's back gently. Snotlout raised an eyebrow at them, wondering if they were exaggerating things a bit.

"-Hiccup could do it."

Astrid looked up when someone spoke his name. It was Mulch and Bucket, who had told Stoick that they needed help moving crops from their farm to the surplus barn in the village square.

Stoick nodded and faced the young adult's table. "Aye, Hiccup co-" Stoick stopped and frowned at his son, who hadn't removed his hands from his face this entire time. Faint paint marks could be seen on his hands, but that wasn't the issue.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup slowly stirred and removed his hands, looking at Stoick with what looked like a lot of effort. "Wh…what?"

Stoick's frown deepened, but before he could speak…

"THERE you are!" A woman's voice erupted.

The healer charged forward and stood behind Hiccup and Astrid with her arms crossed. "What're you doin' here in the meetin'? You should be restin'!" She sent a small glare to Astrid as she laid a hand on Hiccup's arm.

Astrid scowled, "Don't look at me! Stoick made him come." A few gasps carried through the room at the accusation.

Stoick frowned, "Ast-"

"Stoick!" The healer erupted, hands on her hips. Astrid could have sworn a small smirk fell to Hiccup's lips at this turn of events. "What is wrong with ya! Your son has a right concussion and if he don't rest well, he won't have the brains he needs to become chief! Wouldn't want that now would we?"

"Well-" Stoick began.

"Too right, ya wouldn't!" The healer interrupted, her cheeks puffing out in frustration. "Now. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to put my patient to bed because he clearly doesn't have two cents of sarcasm to add in, which tells me that he's most decidedly _not_ well."

Hiccup managed to mumble. "I concur."

Stoick pursed his lips, unsure how to respond to the healer's outrage. But he finally settled on a nod. "Alright, you can take him. I'm sorry."

"You better be, Stoick the Vast." The healer growled before trying to pull Hiccup off the bench.

His head began to pound harder, but he managed to stand and walk out of the Great Hall with just the healer and Astrid walking beside him. He could hear the choruses of whispers go through the crowd, "What'd he do?" "What happened?" "He hit his head." "Shh, he's not deaf." "Maybe Astrid hit him too hard."

The healer stopped Astrid outside the door. "You get back to the meeting, dear. I'll make sure he gets home."

Astrid grudgingly nodded and gave Hiccup a small hug. "I'll check on you tomorrow."

Hiccup blinked slowly, not quite registering her statement. "Wha… tomorrow?"

She breathed a laugh as the healer grasped his arm. "Go get some sleep."

"Mmmmkay…"

Astrid turned back to the door and spared him a glance as the healer led him down the stairs. Hopefully he'd be better soon.

**Xxx**

Sunday. It was Sunday morning, four days later, when Hiccup was finally able to sound coherent, not have a mood, or want to sleep til kingdom come.

Astrid found him in the forge early that morning, sharpening a sword and a few daggers. He asked her to get the group together with their dragons to work on some stuff in the Dragon Academy. She agreed, and the group met at noon.

However, he didn't honestly think that the tortures of his concussion would return to haunt him for weeks to come.

"All right, this is just an observation mission. No marking or anything, we're just here to observe and take note of the new migratory patterns of some of the dragons, now that their environment has been upset." Hiccup said, charcoal in hand and lifted just above their map of all the islands.

"Yeah, they think they own whatever land they land on. The earth is just a dead thing they can claim." piped up Tuffnut, holding back a laugh.

Snotlout put a hand to his heart, his eyes wide in mock surprise. "Well I know every rock and tree and creature has a life, has a spirit, has a name."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, having heard all about his strange tangent from Gobber already that morning. "All right, very funny, but there's no need to..."

"Instead of Tuffnut, can the rainstorm and the river be my brothers?" Ruffnut asked, giving her brother a high five.

Hiccup placed his head in his hands and began to grab fistfuls of his head in frustration. Astrid glanced over in his direction and knew that he was exasperated at once.

"All right, everyone, lay off." she exclaimed, swooping over to Snotlout, who was snickering into his hand, and punching him on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Astrid." Hiccup said, looking up at his girlfriend with a small smile.

"After all, when you hurt Hiccup, you hurt me too. You hurt everyone here." Astrid continued, sending a wink in his direction.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "What..."

"I mean we are all connected to each other in a circle, in a hoop that never ends." Astrid finished, grinning widely at her humiliated boyfriend.

Hiccup placed his head in his hands, partially out of frustration but mostly to hide the fact that it was burning and probably as red as a tomato. He could hear their laughter echoing in his ears and desperately wished he could have just knocked himself out when he had the chance.

"Guys, can we seriously just focus?"

Snotlout wrapped an arm around his cousin's shoulders instead and gestured to the sky. "How about we sing instead, Hiccup? Because we need to sing with all the voices of the mount-"

Hiccup shoved his arm off, ignoring his dying friends, and walked over to Toothless, who was snickering into his paw. "Not you too," Hiccup growled. "Come on, let's go. I need to help Mulch and Bucket anyway." He hopped on Toothless and prepared to take off.

"Oh come on, Hiccup, we're just messing with you," Astrid put a hand on his ankle to stop him.

"Yeah that's lovely, but I really do need to get stuff done today. So I'm going to go help Mulch and Bucket, you guys find something productive to do."

"Like, can we paint with all the colors of the wiiiiiiind?" Snotlout and Tuffnut had their arms wrapped around each other and were swaying to the lyrics.

"Gah! I quit!" Hiccup growled and snapped his prosthetic into place. "See you later Astrid."

And with that, he set off towards the hills to where Mulch and Bucket's farm was. He shook his head in annoyance. Sure, he had to admit it was funny, but not when a stupid concussion had put him out for nearly a week!

He lost _five_ days! _Five_! On top of helping Stoick with chiefly responsibilities, training kids to ride and train their dragons in the academy, and help with the harvest, he still had to finish getting ready to propose to Astrid!

He felt pressured, annoyed… stressed. All this work piling up on him was really starting to get to him.

Was this what it was like to be chief? He nearly shuddered at the thought.

**Xxx**

The Sunday sun sank lower into the horizon, further bathing the sky in dark reds and orange hues. Astrid walked calmly through the town square to her destination, hoping Hiccup was inside. Her blue eyes scanned the inside of the forge. The hearth was filled with warm coals, but clearly hadn't been reheated for a while. No one could be seen anywhere.

"Hiccup?" She called, just in case.

Hiccup jerked from his spot in his back room at her call. He ground his teeth and hurriedly piled up his pile of notes, slapped them inside his notebook and tossed them to the floor behind some fish baskets. "I'm in here, Astrid!"

He could hear her steady footsteps as she maneuvered the various tables and large items through the forge. He exhaled slowly to calm his pounding heart, thanking Odin above that she didn't just walk in. She surely would have discovered his plan then.

"What are you-" She asked as she walked in the room, but stopped dead in her tracks.

Hiccup lazily put his arms behind his head and smiled. "Like it?"

Her brow furrowed. "What is it?"

Hiccup pursed his lips and stared at the ceiling. "Not sure what to call it yet." He was currently suspended in the air on a small rope net, two ends of it tied up on either end of the ceiling. He lounged on it quite comfortably as he thought. "It's like a hanging bed... so like... maybe a... bedanger?"

Astrid took a few steps closer to him and looked down at him with an amused smile. "You never cease to amuse me."

"Hey, be nice." Hiccup pouted. "I am still nursing a head wound-"

Astrid laughed out loud. "Wound? Yeah and I'm the queen of Rome." Hiccup cringed. He hated Rome with a passion. As did any real Viking. "Besides," she added. "Your brains can't be that screwed up if you were able to build something."

"Astrid, I tied a net to the ceiling. Not exactly my finest craftsmanship."

"But it's something." She argued, "So maybe you should be working on something?"

"I was before you walked in."

"Oh, really? What?"

Hiccup pursed his lips. "No, not really."

"Don't lie to me."

"I think you seriously want to try out this... Hammock."

Astrid blinked, her previous curiosity lost to confusion. "What?"

"I just named it a Hammock."

"Why?"

"I dunno. Rhymes with Haddock. Why not? Come here-"

"No, I'm not getting on that thing."

"Oh come on, it's relaxing." Hiccup argued, grabbing her wrist. Astrid pinched his wrist tight and his eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

"Let me go." She smiled sweetly, but the threat clear. She'd dislocate his wrist without a second thought.

Hiccup licked his lips and made a decision. Both of her hands were occupied, one holding his and the other held by his, so he had a shot. "Nope. Now come here-" With surprising speed he grabbed her by her waist just above her hips and tugged her to him.

"Ah!" Astrid yelled falling onto his chest. "Hiccup-"

"Gah, stop squirming before you flip us!" Hiccup griped. "Just hold still!"

She was completely on top of him. Of course there was nothing bad intended and it was entirely his fault, but if anyone walked in right now it would look very bad. Astrid stopped moving and let him adjust their weight properly. She soon found herself snuggled up right next to his body and she could feel the warmth rise to her cheeks.

"Hiccup-"

"Just relax and breathe." Hiccup lifted an arm above his head and closed his eyes. With his right foot he pushed them off the table and got the "hammock" to swing lightly.

Astrid felt uncomfortable for a few minutes, but she soon felt all of her muscles gradually relax. _Wow_, she thought. _This thing is nice. Not bad company either_.

The room was warm, the lighting comfortable, the man she loved lying beside her. She looked up at him to see him still and relaxed, his eyes closed in contentment. She took the opportunity to look at his face more closely.

His red hair had grown long and darker over the past few years with a few natural highlights from working or riding in the sun. His bangs cascaded across his forehead in layers. Freckles still splashed across his cheekbones but they were considerably lighter than when he was younger. A little dark red stubble had grown on his chin and around his jawline, which made him just a tad more attractive in her opinion. His lips were smooth and a gentle hue-she knew from experience how soft they were.

She reached up and gently brushed the pads of her fingertips against them. Hiccup slowly opened his green eyes and looked down at her. He gently kissed her fingertips as they brushed his lips. Astrid couldn't help the small smile that graced hers.

She slid down and rested her head on his chest, snuggling up to him even closer. She deeply inhaled his scent of worn leather, forge work and summer, and contentedly sighed. She rested a hand on his chest and slowly moved her fingertips in small circles around his shirt, teasing the skin underneath.

Hiccup wrapped his left arm around his girl's waist, resting his hand cautiously on her stomach. He kissed the top of her head chastely and looked back up at the ceiling, content to spending the evening simply relaxing. No work, no projects, no Gobber or father nagging him to do something productive. The healer would be proud that he was actually _resting_ even after being told he was mostly fine.

After ten minutes or so Hiccup realized Astrid's breathing had slowed considerably and he smiled when he found that she had fallen asleep. This is where he wanted to be. He wanted her by his side forever; wanted to wake up to her peaceful face every morning. This was where life could only get better.

The only thing keeping these two worlds apart was a simple question he had yet to ask.

He had the plans set up; he had places around the island figured out and ideas for his little notes. Now he just had to wait for the day to come. And try to dispose of the nervousness welling up in his gut every time he thought of it.

But he was confident in himself. He wasn't a typically overconfident person when it came to most things, unless it concerned dragons, forging weapons or gear, battle strategies, or Astrid. These were the things that he either had a knack for, or, in Astrid's case, grew so close to that he couldn't _not_ be comfortable.

His gaze drifted to his desk opposite him and fell on the small box that he kept the ring in. Little did his sleeping beauty know what gift he would be presenting her with in just a few days, and with a proposal that she'd be blown away by. No woman on Berk would surely be this blessed.

He wanted to get the ring out and give it to her now, he was so excited. But spoiling his surprise just days before her birthday, and waking her up when she was properly curled up beside him, completely relaxed and serene like an angel, would not do.

His eyes shifted down to her left hand resting on his chest. The ring would be on that hand soon, on that one finger. Assuming… He frowned at himself for that doubtful thought. She wouldn't turn him down in a million years. Surely if she didn't care about him at least to a normal extent, she wouldn't have fallen asleep on him right?

He smirked at himself and lightly rolled his eyes. Nah, she'd accept.

He reached up and gently held her hand, suddenly awed at how small her hands were compared to his. They held hands on a semi-frequent basis; why was he just noticing this? His hand covered the entire length of hers, his fingers extending past her wrist. Her two hands probably couldn't hold one of his. He stroked her wrist for a moment, reveling in the softness of her skin.

Then he was looking at her face, taking in every detail that he could pick out, from the light curve in her nose to the light pink in her lips. He could stare at her face all day; the only thing missing was the pop of her gorgeous blue eyes—those eyes that he noticed straight off when he was a little boy, right after seeing her blonde hair.

Astrid shifted and ran her fingers down his chest with a soft sigh. He bit his lip, wondering if she consciously remembered where she was. She hadn't been asleep that long. Gosh, now those butterflies of nervousness were back.

Hiccup leaned his head back and stared at the ceiling, tracing designs out of the lines in the wood. How often he'd do this when he was younger, just lean in his chair or lie on the floor and trace the lines. He had certain images in certain spots that belonged there because once he placed them there as a kid, they were there forever. Like the Zippleback on the left side of the ceiling or the shape of Stoick's helmet toward the lower right. He cracked a smile—those were the simple days when he'd dream of being an amazing Viking, no longer Hiccup the Useless, and maybe one day get Astrid to look at him in some way other than disappointment or contempt.

It had been a long flight (he breathed a laugh at his mental pun), but he'd made it. He wondered what else life would throw at him in the coming years. Becoming chief one day, raising a family, keeping the peace between dragons and other tribes. It all sounded so big and huge for someone who still didn't feel very experienced… and it was all on his doorstep, knocking.

"What's so funny?" Astrid murmured suddenly.

Hiccup craned his neck to look at her. Her eyes were still closed, but she soon opened them sleepily. "How'd you know I laughed?"

"I heard you, dummy."

"Wow, feeling the love. You know, when people take naps they're supposed to be in a better mood afterwards."

Astrid raised an eyebrow at him. "I give you plenty of love. You're like a sponge; you soak it up like a long-lost puppy."

Hiccup pouted. "I'm not that bad."

"The jury is still out."

"You know you love me."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Cuz you whispered it when you were sleeping."

Astrid frowned and looked up at him, but his smile gave him away. "Liar." She slapped his chest, but he laughed.

"Again, you know you love me." Hiccup smiled, unable to wipe the look off his face.

A new look entered Astrid's eyes and she sat up. She rested her forearms on his shoulders and leaned over him, making his eyebrows go up. She bent lower and whispered, "Yes…" Brushed her nose lightly against his, "Yes, I do." She held his face in her hands gently and kissed him slowly, passionately.

Hiccup sighed, surprised by this turn of events but was nonetheless plunged into a euphoric state. His brain buzzed with activity at her touch, her closeness, her warm lips caressing his, but he could only lie there and let her kiss him in a way she had never kissed him before. He barely registered brushing his fingertips up the sides of her waist.

The kiss lasted a minute, leaving them breathless and him wanting more. She still loomed over him, resting her forehead against his. Hiccup kept his eyes closed, memorizing everything about this moment, bent on storing every detail in his memory for the rest of his life. This wasn't the only reason of course, but it certainly added to the reasons why he loved her so much.

She breathed a laugh, at what he knew not, and kissed his nose, making him open his eyes. "I'll see you later," she whispered.

Astrid slipped out of his hold and slid off the hammock, shooting him a smile before leaving the room with an extra swing of her hips. Upon exiting the room, she waved a hand in her face. _Whoo, that was a little hot…_ she chuckled to herself. She knew she shouldn't mess with him like that; Freya knew the guy was head over heels for her as it was.

But the look of pure love on his face was unmistakable. And who was she to deny him that?

Hiccup's heart was pounding. He had sat up when she walked out, but now he sat there, trying to register some kind of coherent thought. He had half a mind to run after her and kiss her til he could kiss her no more, but that wouldn't be appropriate. He'd just have to marry her as fast as possible and hope that she'd kiss him like that again soon. Very soon.

"Arghhhhh…" He grabbed his hair and flounced back on his hammock. "I am SUCH a lovesick puppy-AH!" The hammock flipped, effectively tossing him to the ground. "Ughh…" He moaned, sitting up. "Correction: I am such a _clumsy_ lovesick puppy."

**Whaddya think? Let me know in a review! ;) Thanks guys, and have an amazing Thanksgiving! :D**

**~EmmerzK**


	6. A Heated Practice

**So just a note to you guys: apparently I like the name Olaf. In chapter 1 I named Ruff and Tuff's lil brother Olaf, and then later on I named Astrid's dad Olaf. So in this chapter I renamed the little Thorston boy Devon. K? Okay. ;)**

**I feel like this chapter is short, but it's not; it's about the same as the rest. Anywho, happy reading! ;D**

**Chapter 6: A Heated Practice**

Tuffnut stomped down the stairs to the kitchen, making his presence known to his family. Ruffnut already sat at the table with their mother, eating breakfast. Their younger brother Devon played on the rug a few feet away with a Terrible Terror. Tuff didn't bother looking around the room for his father, knowing that he had gone fishing in the wee hours that morning.

The 20-year-old scanned the kitchen countertop for bread and found only a small morsel left. "Dah crap," he muttered.

Mrs. Thorston looked at him sweetly. "Tuff dear, would you mind going to the bakery and buying us some more bread? There are a few coins on the counter there." Ruffnut looked over at him and smirked, shrugging her eyebrows at him.

Tuffnut scowled and scooped up the coins. "Thank you, honey." His mother stood and went to kiss his cheek, but he swatted her away.

"Blech moooooom-"

"Alright alright," She smiled and shooed him to the door. As he opened it to walk out, she threw over her shoulder, "But you know you'll never get married if you don't at least let your mother kiss your cheek."

Ruffnut snickered from her seat and Tuffnut scowled at her, feeling his ears redden. He looked at her plate on the table, noticing all the crumbs all over her plate. She did this. Ohh, she would pay.

Grumbling to himself and ignoring the women's laughter (and his annoying squirt of a brother's), he yanked the door closed and walked to the village square. He neared the bakery in minutes and stood outside the window as if frozen.

He couldn't go in there. Nope. He turned on his heel and stomped away, not understanding why in Odin's name he couldn't just go in, buy what he needed, and walk out. No big deal. He was Tuffnut Thorston, this shouldn't be a problem!

He stopped and balled his fists. Groaning again, he walked to the bakery door at a brisk pace, yanked it open and stepped in. He didn't make it far before he froze again.

There she was. Amelia: the baker's daughter.

She didn't notice him as she was kneading dough behind the counter. Her chestnut hair was pulled back in a low bun and covered in a white wrap; a few tresses fell to the sides of her face. Her brown and green dress was covered in an apron. Flour reached past her forearms and a few smudges were on her face.

She paused from her kneading and wiped a little sweat off her brow with her wrist. And she looked up to see him standing there, frozen in the doorway.

"Oh, hi Tuffnut," she smiled, her blue eyes brightening. "Sorry, I didn't… didn't hear you come in." She looked away shyly, her eyes flitting back to his every few seconds.

Tuffnut merely stared at her, a smile coming to his face. He could just watch her all day.

"Tuffnut?" Amelia waved a hand in front of him.

"Oh!" Tuffnut shook out of his stupor. "I, uhh… sorry. Umm…" What was _wrong_ with him?

Amelia giggled and pushed a few fallen strands of hair behind her ear. The sound was like music to his ears and he gave a nervous chuckle. "Can I get you anything?" Amelia asked, wiping her hands on her apron.

Tuffnut blinked, then nodded. "Um… yeah, I just need a few loaves of bread."

"Okay," Amelia smiled and grabbed a few fresh loaves and wrapped them. "Anything else?"

Tuffnut dumbly shook his head. "Okay, four coins," Amelia held out the bread and her empty hand. He pulled out the coins and had to bite back the smile when his fingers brushed her palm. "Thanks."

Tuffnut shook his head. "No." He said gruffly, making her blink in shock. Then he smiled and said in a gentler tone, "Thank you."

Amelia felt the blush on her cheeks as she stared back at him with a smile. She didn't see him often and he didn't talk much when he came by, but that was probably the closest to flirting with her that he'd come. She was relieved when the door opened and Hiccup walked in.

"Hi Hiccup!" she smiled at him.

"Hey," Hiccup nodded at her and slapped Tuff on the back. "Nice day, isn't it?"

Amelia nodded. Tuff hummed, not looking away from Amelia. "Yeah… what a day."

Amelia bit her lip and began kneading her bread again. Hiccup raised an eyebrow at his friend but said nothing. He cleared his throat, "Amelia, I'm planning something for Thursday in the Great Hall. It'll be a village-wide thing, everyone's invited. So-"

Amelia waved her hand, having already written out a note. "Say no more, we'll have plenty of bread for you. I'll be sure to let my father know when he returns from the mill."

Hiccup grinned. "Thank you, you're too sweet."

Amelia shrugged, "Just doing my job."

Hiccup looked over at Tuffnut, who was still in a daze. "Well, I guess we'll get out of your hair. See you later, Amelia." The heir grabbed his friend's arm and pulled him away from the counter.

"Whoa, hey!" Tuffnut tried to pull away but suddenly realized what was happening. "Oh. Oh! Bye Amelia!"

The door slammed shut and Amelia stared at the handle with a small smile. "Bye Tuff…"

As soon as they were far away from the bakery, Hiccup burst out laughing and pointed at Tuffnut. "What?" The blonde growled.

"You like Amelia!" Hiccup crowed.

Tuffnut's hands were suddenly on Hiccup's face. "Shutup! I don't need the whole village knowing!"

Hiccup pulled his hands away. "So you don't deny it."

Tuffnut scowled and stayed silent. At Hiccup's raised eyebrow, he deadpanned. "It would be kinda stupid if I did, wouldn't it? Hey, what're you so excited about?"

"Aw man, this is just too good." Hiccup grinned and practically skipped away.

Tuffnut ran to catch up to him, "What, you think I'm incapable of something like that?"

"What?" Hiccup stopped in his tracks. "No! No no, that's definitely not it. I guess it's just a little unexpected. And the look on your face while staring at her? Undeniable." This only earned him a swift punch, but he only laughed. "You need to ask her-"

"NOPE!" Tuffnut roared. "We are not going there-"

"Why not!" Hiccup chuckled, hands on his hips.

Tuffnut spluttered and leaned in close to Hiccup's face. "Dude, she's only seventeen-"

"So? Lots of married couples are a few years apart-"

"And her dad's scary-"

"Ben the Baker? _Scary?_" Hiccup laughed wholeheartedly, catching a few glances from other villages. "He's not scary!"

"To you! Everyone loves you!" Tuffnut growled.

Hiccup put on a straight face. "I had to earn that reputation."

Tuffnut opened his mouth and paused, taking in Hiccup's expression. "Wait… Are you saying…"

"Just give it a chance, that's what I'm saying." Hiccup smacked his arm. "Talk to her dad, get to know the family. Just get your foot in the door. Your biggest issue is resisting the urge to blow something up."

Tuffnut frowned, "Easier said than done."

"Yeah, well it could be worse. I have to learn to use a weapon before proposing to Astrid." Hiccup raised an eyebrow before slapping a hand to his mouth, and looking around with horror. "Oh gosh, I almost blew it…" he sighed when he didn't see Astrid anywhere.

"Wait what!" Tuffnut exploded. Now it was Hiccup's turn to slap his hands over his friend's mouth. "SHH! Do not blow it!" Tuff nodded readily and Hiccup removed his hands.

"When?"

"Soon." Hiccup avoided eye contact.

"How soon?"

"Soon enough." Hiccup frowned at him.

Tuff crossed his arms, which was difficult as he held the loaves of bread. "Oh come on, you can't honestly give me nothing."

"It's gotta be perfect. No offense, but I really don't want this surprise to go up in flames," Hiccup replied. Then he paused, thought for a moment, then put on a bargaining face. "Alright. If you ask Amelia on a date, I'll give you some intel on the big day."

"What's the big day?"

Hiccup sighed, "That's the code name."

"For what?"

"For…" Hiccup glanced around. "You know…"

"No I really don't. Why are you always so cryptic?"

Hiccup groaned. "For the engagement day." He growled in a whisper.

"Ohhhh that!" Tuffnut grinned with a nod. "Wait… no! No, I'm not asking her on a date!"

"You really don't have a lot of time for something like that anyway." Hiccup mused. "Okay, get her something. Flowers or something, and I'll give you some intel."

"Flowers." Tuffnut put a hand to his chin in thought. "What kind of flowers do girls like? Or wait, she's the baker's daughter. Maybe I should just buy her a bag of flour from the mill. Think she'd like that?"

Hiccup slapped his forehead. "No… just… just go to the woods, pick a bunch of flowers and take them to her. Make sure there are no spiders in there, do not PUT any spiders in there-"

"What makes you think I'd do that to her?" Tuffnut roared.

"Sometimes it needs saying," Hiccup shrugged. "When you take them to her, just be normal, be nice, don't freak her out, engage in conversation but don't talk about yourself nonstop and don't talk all about violent stuff, I heard she's kinda timid with violence. If you remember all that, you'll be good to go!" Hiccup smiled.

Tuffnut's eye twitched. He finally nodded resolutely and laughed, "Ha ha, very funny. No way is this happening."

Hiccup shrugged. "I'll convince you sooner or later. But anyway, I have to go meet Astrid in the Academy. Do not tell a soul of the big day or I will tell _everyone_ that you like Amelia, _starting_ with her father."

Tuffnut's eyes bugged out of his head and he nodded vehemently. Hiccup had to smirk and slapped his friend's shoulder. "Go pick some flowers."

Hiccup turned and walked in the general direction of the Dragon Academy, leaving Tuffnut spluttering in the middle of the street. He chuckled to himself and shook his head. This was just too good. He couldn't wait to tell Astrid; she'd keep Tuff's secret.

He hoped.

**Xxx**

"I've never seen him so spaced out before. You should've seen the look on his face!" Hiccup picked up a bow hanging on the weapon's cart as he rambled. Astrid chose her own as she listened intently, smiling at the story.

"Seems Tuff is getting a soft side," she commented. "It had to happen sooner or later. Now hopefully he won't go embarrassing himself."

"But he's not easily embarrassed."

"Point taken," Astrid remarked. "Both the twins don't generally care about stuff, but if he genuinely wants to make her happy and does something stupid in the process, he might just get his first dose of reality-stricken embarrassment."

Hiccup nodded in agreement. "Then again, it might be good for him."

Astrid plucked her bow string for a minute, giving Hiccup a level stare. "What?" he asked, shuffling at the awkward silence.

"Why are you doing this again?"

Shoot. She wasn't supposed to ask. But he knew it was coming. Thankfully he'd prepared for this scenario, so he nonchalantly shrugged. "Figured it'd be a good idea. And it might be nice to be able to shoot off Toothless if the situation calls for it."

Astrid puckered her lips and nodded, picking up a quiver of arrows. When she turned her back to face the targets, he slumped as if to sigh out loud. She fell for it. They weren't technically lies because they really were legitimate reasons… though in reality he wouldn't be doing this of his own accord.

"You going to come shoot or am I here for no reason?" she asked sternly while notching an arrow.

Hiccup shuffled over and stood on her left. Astrid drew her bow and he watched her—her stance, her steady breathing, her focus on the target. She let the arrow fly and it hit a perfect bull's eye on her chosen target.

Astrid faced him with a competitive smirk. He gulped as she began to speak, "Okay, I want you to do just what I did. I'll correct you when needed."

He clumsily pulled out an arrow from his quiver, shakily notching it into the bow. Astrid mentally raised an eyebrow. How was he able to create such amazing things like riding gear with such steady hands, but anything weapon-related he was as shaky as a crisp autumn leaf?

"Use your other hand." She said before he could draw the string.

Hiccup looked at her as if she had lost something. "What? Why?"

"Because you're right eye dominant and left-handed. Trust me on this. Draw with your right."

He frowned at her before raising the bow, drawing his right arm back with the arrow. It felt so off, so weird. He should be doing this with his left hand. He'd been left-handed his whole life—another reason he was dubbed a hiccup as a child. But he kept his complaints to himself; there was a reason he asked her to train him. She was practically a weapons expert. He squirmed uncomfortably for a minute as he tried to focus on the target, but Astrid's voice stopped him.

"You're too unbalanced." She walked around him and gently scooted his feet farther apart from each other, careful not to bump his prosthetic too hard. Wouldn't want anyone to lose an eye because he was clumsier than a toddler—another one of his great mysteries she'd never understand. Flawless in the air, but Odin help the guy on land.

She then put a hand on the center of his back. "Stand straighter." When he complied she wrapped an arm around his waist, setting a hand lightly on his torso. "Keep tension here. Your abs are your core. And for as much pounding that you do in the forge, I know you have 'em, so make sure to use 'em." Hiccup brushed off his nervousness with a light laugh and eye roll.

"And then there's your arms…" she mused, setting a hand on his shoulder. "Relax."

"How do you relax when you're drawing-"

"Use your core. Pull the strength from there, not from your arms, because you're making them shake."

Hiccup's eyes widened and he pursed his lips. This language sounded worse than Colors of the Wind. Pull strength from your gut to pull back a bow with your arms? What? "Erm-"

"It's going to take practice. Don't panic."

"I'm not panicking!" He spoke a little too quickly.

"You look like you want to cry."

"Wha- I do not!"

"Yes you do." Astrid walked around him and smirked. "Anyway, relax your arms until they stop shaking."

"Astrid, they're shaking because you're making me hold this so long."

"Focus on the target." She reinforced, forcing him to continue. Hiccup looked ahead at the target. "We'll worry about wind and distance later, but for now use your arms to gently direct it's course."

Hiccup seemed to become engrossed in his focusing because after a full minute, he still didn't let the arrow go. At least he seemed more relaxed. Astrid stood on tiptoes and surveyed his aim. "Aim a little higher…" she murmured. He adjusted his arm and she smiled, "And… shoot."

He let the arrow fly…

And was dumbfounded when it not only hit the target but also hit merely five or six inches off the center.

Hiccup breathed a laugh and put his arm down. "See?" Astrid smiled, now standing beside him. "You _can_ do it."

He looked at her with a soft gaze and couldn't stop his thoughts. "Where would I be without you?"

Astrid waved a hand, "Oh, you'd be hopeless without me."

"O-ho, is that so?" Hiccup grinned widely.

"Name one big accomplishment you've made." Hiccup raised a finger in triumph and she rolled her eyes, "That isn't dragon related."

"Aw come on…"

"And I think I've made my point." Astrid smirked, inspecting her fingernails.

Hiccup set his bow and quiver down and sauntered over to her. "Ya know…" He mused as he drew closer. "There is one thing…"

Astrid's blue eyes flicked back up to his as he walked over to her. "I'm listening."

He now stood in front of her. "I think you know."

"Ohh…" Astrid faked innocence. "You think you made this happen on your own, do you?"

Hiccup lightly pushed a few of her bangs out of her eyes as he lowered his voice. "Why yes. Yes I do. And winning the heart of the most beautiful woman on Berk was no easy task."

Astrid tilted her head to the right an inch, feeling his breath mingling with hers. "It amuses me that you think it's smooth sailing from here."

"Oh no, it's been tough. But I like a challenge." Hiccup finally closed the space between their lips in a passionate kiss, pulling her closer to his body in the process. He pulled his lips away from hers with a light pop a few moments later.

Astrid pinched the edge of her bottom lip between her teeth and lightly cocked her head as if to shrug. "I guess that was passable."

Hiccup furrowed his brows, bending his fingers around the curve of her waist. "Passable?"

Astrid nodded assuredly. "Yeah. You still have a lot to learn."

Hiccup's eyes darted to her lips for a millisecond and he cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really? Like what, exactly?"

Astrid grabbed the collar of his tunic and pushed him backwards, drawing his mouth to hers as his back bumped the stone wall. He couldn't help the loud sigh that escaped him when she ran her fingers through his hair and pressed her body against his. While his kiss had lasted only a few moments, hers lasted nearly a minute. When she pulled away he gasped for breath and had to stare at her with wide eyes, utterly speechless.

Astrid gave a short laugh and rested her forehead against his. Hiccup finally found his voice. "You're right. I've got a lot to learn."

Astrid smiled gently and blue eyes met green. "Good thing I'm here to teach you." She kissed him again, but much slower and gentler this time. He smiled through the kiss and held her face in his hands.

She drew back and he reluctantly pulled his hands away. He stared at her as she adjusted her bangs and glanced around the arena. She suddenly snorted, "We didn't get interrupted this time."

Hiccup chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, for once." He continued to stare at her as she watched some Terrible Terrors fly overhead.

She raised her eyebrows when she noticed his stare. "What?"

His mind screamed, "Marry me!" But instead, he smiled and shook his head. "Amazing how easily you distract me."

Astrid crossed her arms. "Oh, so now this is my fault?"

Hiccup held up his hands. "You started it!"

"Well y-" Astrid started but stopped. She did start it, didn't she? Hiccup smirked, knowing that he'd won an argument. She grabbed him by the shirt, making his lips quirk in anticipation for another kiss, but she pushed him back to the center of the area. "Oh get back to your archery, lover boy!"

"Anything for you, baby," Hiccup winked and went back to his bow. He really did need to focus and start practicing.

Astrid rolled her eyes at him, but her heart swelled. She wouldn't say it out loud, but she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. The thought made her smile broaden, but she quickly wiped it away, not wanting him to ask what she was thinking. But as she surveyed his stance when he drew another arrow, she couldn't help but entertain the thought.

**Special thanks to KatieMarie999 for helping me out with dialogue and fluff! I hope this wasn't too much smoochin' for you guys, I know how you can blush :P haha Jk ;)**

**Anyway this chapter was Monday, so Hiccup's got three days to master archery, prove his worth to Mr. Hofferson, and finish preparing for the Big Day. Will he be ready? What's he got planned? Why I'm glad you asked, dearies! You'll just have to stick around :P Hehe I'm evil today!**

**Amelia and Tuffnut is random, but I loved the idea of Tuff falling for the baker's daughter. Just something random I came up with and had to insert it in. I won't strictly focus on that couple cuz this is a Hiccstrid story, but it's a thought. Ooo maybe I could do a one-shot of Tuffelia. Hmmm… We shall see, my pretties!**

**Alrighty, I think that's all I wanted to touch on. Thanks for all the support and reviews, and feel free to leave me another one! See you in the next chappie! :D**

**~EmK**


	7. Admission

**Next chapter up! Wow, this didn't take long. And it's all thanks to KatieMarie999; I was honestly stuck on where to continue, and she killed that writer's block for me in like, 10 minutes! Lol She got me started and this chapter just flowed from there. Got a lot of lovin in this chapter, and a lil "action" I guess. Happy reading!**

**Chapter 7: Admission**

Stoick ordered Thornado to land at the side of his house just as the sun was beginning to kiss the horizon. He took off his dragon's saddle and harness before patting him on the head. "Well done, Thornado. Same time tomorrow?"

Thornado snorted at him with a gruff nod before marching off to his pen to curl up for a nap. Stoick chuckled, "Rest well, friend."

As he hung up the riding gear on a nail, he thought he heard short pounding sounds coming from the back yard near the woods. The chief lumbered around the corner and was shocked to see Hiccup standing in the middle of the small field, shooting arrows at targets hanging from the trees.

Stoick leaned against the house, silently watching his son shoot. He nodded at a few of the hits approvingly. "You know, son, you're not half bad."

Hiccup flinched at his father's presence, but pulled his last arrow back. "I think there was a compliment in there somewhere." He let the arrow fly and hit a perfect bull's eye. He dropped his arms in satisfaction, beyond happy that he'd improved so much in just a day.

Stoick laughed and joined his son on the grass, thumping him on the back. Hiccup flailed and wiped out, his hands skidding in the grass in front of him. "Just when I was starting to feel manly…"

Stoick watched him get back up and brush himself off. "Seems like yesterday you were tripping over yourself and destroying the village singlehandedly."

"Umm…okay…"

"What I mean is that you have come a long way. I'm proud of you son."

Hiccup looked up at his dad and smiled. "Thanks, dad."

But Stoick wasn't done. "Truth be told, I didn't think I'd ever see you this close to marriage."

Hiccup slumped and inspected the grip of his bow. "Aaand back to normal," he muttered, but his father didn't hear him.

"But here you are! And you picked the most attractive woman in the village too. I really didn't see that coming-"

"Welp, as uplifting as this conversation has been, I should get back to practicing before it's too dark to see." Hiccup mosied to the trees to retrieve his arrows.

Stoick nodded, "Right. I'll leave you to it then." He watched his son yank arrows out of all the targets he had set up across the lawn or hung in trees. He suddenly was hit with the realization that his only son was going to be getting married soon.

Odin's beard, wasn't he just three, running around at people's feet asking a million and one questions with wide green eyes? He still remembered the day his Valhallarama taught their son how to write. Oh, how annoyed he felt with his son after Val spent hours upon hours teaching him how to write, just to make the discovery that he was left-handed. It was just another hiccup to add to the list of hiccups.

But he was Hiccup. He had always been different. He never did do things the traditional Viking way. He was always curious, sarcastic, a bit cynical at times with a good ration of attitude. And he had an eye for detail. He not only saw detail in objects that most people didn't catch, but also looked for the brightest in people and dragons alike. Hiccup was never quick to judge, but was always quick to forgive.

If anything, Hiccup's only real flaw was how he held in his feelings and emotions. He still locked away his feelings like he did as a young teen. He didn't want to talk about his problems, but usually spilled his thoughts with a gentle prod.

Hiccup was a better man than Stoick realized. He didn't know when it happened exactly, but it all started with that dragon. Toothless brought out the best in Hiccup. He helped the boy move on from his problems, focus on the good in people and always have an optimistic attitude. That dragon helped his boy grow up.

Hiccup placed an arrow in his quiver and walked over to the last few hanging targets. He felt like he was being watched and looked across the lawn to see his dad still standing there. Hiccup looked away and figured his dad would too and go inside. But upon a second glance, his father was still standing there, staring at him.

He grunted at one arrow that wouldn't come lose. He changed positions under the target, now facing his dad, hoping the new angle would lodge it free but it didn't. Hiccup glanced at his dad _again_ who was _still_ staring, and he sighed. "What?"

Stoick blinked out of his reverie. "Oh. Nothing."

"Come on now," Hiccup grit his teeth, trying to pull the arrow out. Then he said in a mock Viking accent. "What's on yer mind? Out with it."

Stoick chuckled and walked over to him, pulling the arrow out of the target easily. Hiccup huffed and took it from him. "Thanks. But really… why are you staring? Is there something on my face?" He subconsciously wiped his face with the back of his hand to be sure.

Hiccup moved over to another target with three arrows in it as Stoick shrugged. "I was just thinking."

"About?" Hiccup pressed.

Stoick sighed and looked off into the sunset. Hiccup furrowed his brow. His father never was one to hold back his thoughts. Or maybe he was… nervous? Nah the sunset was playing tricks-

"I owe you an apology, Hiccup."

Hiccup nearly choked on his spit and recovered with a short cough. He paused in retrieving an arrow and stared at his father. "Wh…what? Why?"

Stoick looked back at his son, whose green eyes were gleaming in the sunset. Valhallarama's eyes did that too; he almost smiled at the memory. "I haven't been the best father to you."

Hiccup's eyebrows raised. "Oh dad, that's-"

"No, I have to say this." Stoick stopped his son's excuses before they could begin. Hiccup's eyes jumped to the arrows. He'd listen, but he couldn't keep eye contact… Stoick took a deep breath. "You're twenty-one. You're about to propose to Astrid." He lightly chuckled and Hiccup's lips quirked in an almost smile. "It really is amazing how far you've come." Stoick paused and looked down at the ground. "But it's terrible how much I missed."

Hiccup stayed silent, stroking the feathers on an arrow. Stoick shook his head, seemingly frustrated, "I was too focused on all the hiccups and not the Hiccup." Hiccup's eyes lifted to his father's face, who looked at him at the same time. "And I'm sorry for that. I was too blinded by my own pride."

Hiccup's eyes darted around as he tried to think of something to say. This wasn't like any normal conversation where no response would be okay; he had to say something here. But what?

A large black figure swooped in to land, kicking up dust as he did. Toothless bounded over and nudged Hiccup's left hip. He pet his dragon on the head, but didn't let himself get distracted. But Toothless' arrival actually gave him a response.

He actually smiled a little as he quietly replied, "Dad, I forgave you a long time ago. As I did for everyone. That first year with Toothless helped me realize that I can let the past go and I can help shape the future." He wet his lips before continuing, "And anyway, I'd say I benefited from it a bit. I've been hard on myself and I'd say it's paid off."

Stoick exhaled a short laugh through his nose before lightly shaking his head. "You would have become a great man either way, but you would have benefited with a little love too."

Hiccup shrugged, rubbing Toothless behind the ear. "I knew it was there, deep down. It just took a little change to let it show. And losing a foot." He quickly added. Stoick chuckled and nodded. Hiccup shrugged again, "I forgave you a long time ago. You don't have to hold yourself to it."

"I only do to remind myself to be a father to my son," Stoick said. "Not the chief."

Hiccup smiled and nudged his father's meaty arm with his fist. "I'd say you're progressing." He walked away to put the last arrows in his quiver, which was full to overflowing.

Stoick smiled, a weight lifted in his soul that his son had really, truly forgiven him. The conversation seemed over, but he felt he wanted to hang out with Hiccup a little more. They didn't really do that often… ever, actually.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup slung the quiver over his shoulder and faced him with an eyebrow raised. "Want to join me and the men at the Mead Hall tonight?"

Hiccup's lips pulled into a small smile. He was twenty-one so he was allowed to visit the hall with the adults at night for ale and merriment, but since none of his friends were there yet he'd never gone. But this was an actual _invitation_ from his _father_. He gave his father a resolute nod. "Let me go throw this stuff inside." It was actually too dark to shoot more anyway, so he had to admit that this worked out.

Stoick smiled when his son walked toward the house, both men feeling actually a little excited at this… new bonding moment they seemed to have had. It was weird… but it was new. It was progress.

Stoick placed a hand on Toothless snout. "And I suppose I have you to thank. You raised my boy when I wouldn't. Thank you."

Toothless blew hot air out his nose, lighting up his nostrils for a moment in a resilient blue, as if to say, "Absolutely."

Hiccup joined Stoick in the front of the house a few minutes later and the two walked to the Great Hall, or what they called the Mead Hall at this hour of the day when children were in bed and Viking merriment would begin. They walked in silence for a few minutes until Stoick asked how the coded Big Day plans were going.

"Good." Hiccup nodded.

"You nervous?"

"Ha, I almost proposed to her this morning."

"Why's that?"

Hiccup felt his ears and neck burn, glad that his hair and shirt covered them. "Ahh you know, amazing girl, great lesson in archery… could barely keep the secret to myself."

"More like she couldn't keep her hands off you."

Hiccup halted in mid-step and gaped at his father, hoping against all hopes that his father hadn't witnessed him and Astrid earlier that morning. Sure, it wasn't anything new, but that experience was… a little more _intimate_ that usual.

Stoick kept walking and laughed out loud. "I'm just teasing. You coming or what?"

Hiccup jogged to catch up and ran a hand through his hair. "Uhh yeah… just teasing. Ha ha ha. Very funny."

The two men continued their banter as they walked up the steps to the Great Hall. Upon entry, the various men and women inside raised their glasses high to their chief and heir. A few men clapped Hiccup on the shoulder with an excited, "Great to see ya here, lad!" and "About time you came in for a swig!" Hiccup shook his head with a light laugh. Clearly a few had already had too many swigs.

Jensen, the Hall's tall blonde tender, slid a couple mugs down the counter to the new arrivals, who scooped them up. Hiccup listened to Stoick's conversation with Spitelout and a few others as he took a drink. It actually was a nice ale with a nutty flavor, and it wasn't too strong.

He hoisted himself onto the countertop to get a better view of the Hall and nodded at a few people he made eye contact with. Looking down at his cup, he had to grin. He was actually hanging out with the adults. And, for the first time, he was beginning to feel like one.

**Xxx**

Astrid sat next to her mother in their family living room, knitting a shirt for a family expecting a baby. Her mother was knitting another shirt beside her, lightly humming as she did so. And her father sat in his chair across from them, whittling a pipe.

Though she acted as if she hated knitting, Astrid actually rather enjoyed it. It was slow, calming work; it enabled her to create something with her hands when usually she'd prefer to destroy something with them; and it gave her time to sort through her thoughts, if needed. At least her mother seemed satisfied that she was helping a fellow villager.

Astrid didn't know it, but she had a smile on her face. In fact, she had had it on all afternoon. She thought about him on a regular basis already, but today she couldn't get Hiccup out of her mind. The last few years he had really proved himself over and over with dragons and helping his father. But the past six months or so he had really stepped up to the plate to learn to take over as chief one day.

Though he was so easily distracted, he was really trying. It was like he woke up one morning and responsibility just hit him in the face. Everything clicked—he was going to council meetings, he was helping Stoick with actual chiefly duties and not just keeping an eye on dragons or training kids in the Academy, he was making an effort to build relationships with the villagers and other tribes.

He was getting it together. And that excited her.

"Alright missy, what's on your mind?" Her father's voice interrupted her thoughts.

Astrid looked up at him with a shocked expression. He had set his whittling down on the table beside his chair, and it seemed he didn't just now put it down. A short glance at her mother from the corner of her eye confirmed that she too had put her task aside. Astrid smiled lightly but inside she kicked herself. They had been watching her for some time while she cluelessly put all her thoughts on her bumbling baboon of a boyfriend-

"Astrid?" Olaf asked again.

Astrid blinked, "Oh. Sorry…"

Phlegma raised an eyebrow. "What's on your mind, dear?"

Astrid pursed her lips but couldn't hide the smile, making her lips stretch awkwardly. She shook her head, "Nothing."

Olaf smirked, "Well it certainly can't be nothing if it's got my girl's attention this much."

Astrid continued her knitting, staring hard at the fibers as if to close the conversation. But she didn't get her stubbornness from nobody: her parents stared at her firmly until she finally began to fidget. "Well…" she muttered. "Just…um…"

Olaf and Phlegma both tried to hide their smiles. They loved it when they got her flustered because no one else on the island could.

Finally their daughter sighed and slumped. "Hiccup."

"Ahh…" Olaf winked at his wife, who laughed. "I had a feelin'."

Phlegma patted her daughter's knee. "He's a good boy, Astrid."

"I'd hardly call him a boy anymore," Astrid muttered to herself.

But her dad heard her. "And what would you call him?"

Astrid's left foot began to tap, as it usually did when she grew nervous. Knowing this, Olaf's smile grew. His daughter replied, "A good future chief."

This caught him off guard because he was expecting her to say something girly or romantic, but his daughter never ceased to surprise him. She was good.

Olaf picked up his whittling again. "Yes, I'd say he's doing much better than past years."

"He's doing amazing." Astrid added, the smile coming back to her face. She focused back on the knitting and continued, "It's like he finally understands that he has people to look out for and those people are looking up to him. They- _we_ want him to lead us one day, and he's finally shown some real effort to be prepared for it. He's actually building relationships with the people he's going to lead one day."

Olaf nodded slowly for a few seconds, weighing his next words carefully. "And what about you?"

Her needles paused for a moment, before they picked up again along with her left foot. "Me?"

"Yes, you," Olaf pressed, catching Phlegma's warning look. It read "Don't you dare spoil Hiccup's surprise." (He had told his wife of Hiccup's proposed proposal later that same night.) He gave her a light shake of his head to confirm he wouldn't, and continued, "You and Hiccup have been together six years. That's an awful long time. Traditionally most couples-"

"Hiccup's never been one for tradition, dad." Astrid interrupted. "And besides, we didn't really consider ourselves a couple until three years ago."

"True, but still, some couples don't even date. They just jump into marriage with both feet after a single meeting."

"We first met when we were three so I don't think that would've worked out."

Olaf chuckled deep in his chest for a moment. Phlegma smiled at her daughter, "You know, I remember when you were about eight years old. You came home one day in a foul mood and neither of us could figure out why. All you'd say was 'I hate Hiccup.' Later on, we found out that he had told you he 'shot down a Night Fury'."

Her mother rolled her eyes with a light laugh. "He always did say that. Anyway, he dragged you to the woods, made you search for it for an hour, and the dragon he shot down turned out to be a Terrible Terror."

Astrid smiled, "Who in turn bit me, even though it was entirely his fault. I remember that!"

"Yes, I talked to his father about that incident. Your arm was swollen for a week from that bite." Olaf shook his head. "It was from then on that I decided to keep an eye on that boy." He smiled mischievously at his daughter then, "But he still managed to capture you."

Astrid smiled and looked back at her needles. She glanced at her right arm where the scar was from the Terror's bite. She had long forgotten about that day, but now she remembered it like it was yesterday. Hiccup had felt guilty about that dragon bite for weeks. Probably longer, knowing him.

Phlegma continued, "You wouldn't talk to him for months. He tried giving you flowers without realizing there was a spider in them and frightened the whole village when it crawled up his sleeve."

Astrid laughs, "Yeah he is funny about spiders." Olaf rolled his eyes and muttered something about manhood.

"It took me, Gobber, and Stoick to calm him down enough to get it off of him." Phlegma shook her head with wide eyes. "That boy was difficult to say the least."

"Every child is difficult." Astrid defended. "Hiccup just got a lot more flack than the rest of us."

Her parents nodded abashedly, still hating to admit the fact that she was right. "But he turned out quite alright for it all, I'd say."

Astrid relaxed. "Yeah, I'd say so," she quietly agreed, the smile coming back to her face.

Olaf paused in his whittling and looked at her again. The look on her face, the way she defended him. Hiccup had professed his love for her already, but Olaf had yet to hear his daughter really, truly voice her affections for him. But the look on her face and the way she talked about him confirmed it all.

"You love him."

Astrid's fingers slowed to a stop and she looked at her father. She considered his expression. Calm, mindful, wise—she respected her father with her every breath. And she so wanted him to approve of Hiccup. "I do."

Her father smiled with a resolute nod. "That's what I wanted to hear."

Astrid cocked her head. "Why?"

Unbeknownst to Astrid, Phlegma's eyes snapped sternly to her husband. He made no expression back at her but he calmly confessed, "You've been with that boy for six years. It's about time you voiced your feelings about him."

Astrid nodded a little, confirming his statement. Phlegma relaxed and set her knitting aside. "Alright dear, you've knit enough tonight I think. You should head to bed. It's getting late."

Astrid nodded again, bid her parents good night and went to her room. As soon as they heard her door close, Phlegma hoarsely whispered, "You are going to spoil-"

"I would not spoil anything, darling." Olaf interrupted calmly. "I just wanted to hear her side."

"Our daughter is not daft, as you well know. It's going to happen in three days, almost two. There's not much time, but there's plenty enough for her to figure it out."

Olaf shook his head with a chuckle. "She won't. We know Hiccup enough to know that he won't let this surprise slip through his fingers so easily."

**Xxx**

"Okay bud, keep steady!" Hiccup called, sitting straight in the saddle, his bow drawn.

Toothless snorted at him, trusting that the man on his back wouldn't accidentally shoot him. They flew at a decent speed about fifty feet off the ground, the trees rushing past them.

The targets came into view and Hiccup focused on the first one. "Use your core…" Astrid's voice rang in his ear.

He steadily exhaled and let the arrow fly. He didn't look to honestly see if he hit the target, for the next one was coming up. He'd had Fishlegs time out specific placements of the targets so he'd have time to practice pulling out arrows as they flew, but no leisure time. Just enough.

Hiccup pulled out another arrow, aimed and shot it at the second target. Toothless swooped around a bend and Hiccup saw two targets hanging above his head on a rock overhang. He quickly notched two arrows and hit each target spot on.

Another line of targets appeared on the ground ahead. Hiccup was able to shoot them all a lot smoothly this time, finally getting the feel for shooting while flying. When he finally hit the last target, he asked Toothless to land at the first target.

When they got there, they heard cheering. The duo turned and saw his friends all high-fiving or cheering at them. Astrid had her hands on her hips and a smile. "Well done, you hit most of them."

"Did I?" Hiccup asked, sliding off Toothless. He looked at the targets and was surprised that indeed, out of the first five, four had an arrow on it and somewhat hit on center.

"Wow," he muttered. "Not bad for a first run."

"But of course, this only the first group." Snotlout reminded. "Let's check out the others. Maybe we'll meet the windstorm and the river while we're at it-"

"Don't even start." Hiccup growled, earning a few snickers from the others. But he gave a wistful smile a moment later.

The other shots were just as successful. Out of the thirty targets altogether, Hiccup had successfully shot twenty-four. Fishlegs nodded approvingly. "Eighty percent on the first try. Great job!"

Hiccup was stunned. "Uhh thanks. Let's just hope that wasn't just pure luck."

Astrid slapped his arm. "No, you've been practicing your shots all day and hitting bull's eyes like none other. You're practically a prodigy!"

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Or I just had a _phenomenal_ teacher…"

Astrid rubbed her knuckles against her sleeve. "Well, I try anyway."

"Ughh all this flirting…" Snotlout sighed, clearly miffed.

Fishlegs rolled his eyes. "It could be worse, you know."

"Fish has a good point." Hiccup conceded, his eyes still looking into hers. "I could start kissing her-"

"Or we could go set up some moving targets!" Tuffnut ran off to grab a few targets.

"Wait what?" Hiccup jerked, watching as Ruffnut and Snotlout joined him. "How are you going to do that?"

Astrid looked concerned. "Yeah, I mean that's a logical thing to learn because not all targets will be immobile, but…" She tapered off when the Twins began tying targets to Barf and Belch.

Hiccup, Astrid and Fishlegs gaped at them. "You've got to be joking." Hiccup finally spoke.

Fishlegs vehemently shook his head. "No no no, we're not doing that until his accuracy is 100 percent. I'm putting my foot down-"

"Hey, 80 percent is pretty good." Ruffnut smiled at him flirtatiously, hopping on Barf. Fish scowled at her; he would not be moved by a mere facial expression.

Hiccup sputtered. "Not good enough when I could risk shooting you, Tuff, or your dragon! Absolutely not."

"Not yet anyway." Astrid raised an eyebrow at him. "We'll try it sometime. But not today. Keep practicing what you were doing there. I'll take care of them."

Hiccup sighed heavily, thankful that she agreed with him. "Thank you." He kissed her cheek and hopped back on Toothless.

Astrid watched him take off before heading over to the others with Fishlegs. "So Fish…" she began.

"Ummm… yes?" He squeaked, afraid of what she'd ask.

"Hiccup seems pretty… oh I don't know… distracted with a lot of things lately." Astrid looked at him firmly. "Do you know why?"

Fishlegs placed his hands behind his back. "Nope! Nope, I know nothing!"

"Oh come on," Astrid growled, her eyes narrowing. "He's been hiding something since Johann was here!"

"And you can't wait just a little bit longer?" Fishlegs asked, then slapped his hands to his mouth.

Astrid smiled victoriously. "Oh, so he _is_ hiding something-"

"No! Yes! I mean no!" Fishlegs spluttered, slapping his hands to his mouth again.

Astrid watched Hiccup and Toothless fly by and shoot the targets again, this round's accuracy much better than the last. And they were flying faster this time. She looked back at Fishlegs, who was now scowling at her. "What? I can't stand secrets-"

"Astrid…" Fishlegs sighed, suddenly very serious. Astrid closed her mouth, wondering what he was going to say. "Don't make me spoil anything. He… he wouldn't want that."

Astrid took in his almost desperate expression. She finally nodded. "Alright. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Just don't ask around anymore. It's nothing you won't love."

"Is it for my birthday?"

"Stop asking questions!" Fishlegs waved his arms around maniacally.

Astrid laughed, "Alright alright, sorry."

Hiccup and Toothless swooped around the corner and came in for a landing. Astrid joined the Twins in trying to untangle their dragon from some rope.

Fishlegs scrambled over to Hiccup, who slid off Toothless. "Hiccup," he whispered hoarsely. "She's onto you."

"Who?"

"Astrid!"

Hiccup snorted. "Oh Fish, she's always onto me-"

Fishlegs deadpanned. "Not what I'm talking about."

"Sorry," Hiccup grinned. He leaned against Toothless. "What do you mean?"

Fishlegs glanced over at Astrid, who was occupied, and he whispered, "The Big Day."

Hiccup's brow furrowed. "What'd you say?"

"I told her to stop asking questions and that you wouldn't want the surprise to be blown-"

"Wait, you said that?"

"Not explicitly word for word."

"Ah man…" Hiccup sighed, running a hand through his dark unruly hair. "So she's figured out that I have something planned. That's it; she has no idea what it _is_?"

"As far as I know…" Fishlegs confirmed. "But she knows you're hiding something."

Hiccup bit his lip. "Maybe I should talk to her. Just appease her for another day and a half so she doesn't find something out. I mean she'll be surprised either way, but I'd really like for her not to be expecting anything."

"Well, she asked if it had to do with her birthday so I think that's out."

Hiccup groaned deep in his throat. "Alright, I'll probably talk to her then. Thanks, Fish."

"No problem."

**Xxx**

Astrid and Hiccup walked side by side through the forest a few hours later, their dragons rumbling through the woods ahead. They had spotted a couple deer a few minutes before and were now bent on catching dinner. Or in Toothless' case, just killing an innocent animal just for the heck of it. He did that to squirrels all the time, but they were annoying and therefore deserved it; Hiccup felt bad for the deer though.

Astrid looked over at her boyfriend, taking in his expression. He looked to be deep in thought, silently contemplating something as they walked in silence. She faced forward and decided to break it. "Okay, you got me out here. What're you thinking?"

Hiccup smiled wistfully, having forgotten in his thick train of thought that he had indeed asked her to take a walk with him that evening. "I'm thinking a lot of things."

"From experience I know that you'll spill once you start, so pick a thought and start yakking."

Hiccup laughed. "Oh no, I'm not spilling this time."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Suuuure."

"No really," Hiccup shook his head. "We're here to talk about one thing."

The cove came into view and the couple walked in. "What's that?" Astrid asked, sitting down on the ground with her legs criss-crossed and leaning her back against a large boulder behind her.

Hiccup seemed nervous for a moment, running a hand through his hair and down his neck. He held his hand there at his jawline as he looked down at her, thinking hard. Astrid traced his jawline with her eyes, wishing he was closer.

As if reading her thoughts, he sat down in front of her, sitting on his foot and his prosthetic bent in front of him. He set his elbow on his knee and messed with a few strands of hair again before looking back at her.

Astrid waited patiently for him to speak. When he did, his voice was slow and calm. "Do you trust me?"

Her brows furrowed immediately. His face remained unchanged, as if anticipating such a reaction. "What?" She asked. "Of course I do, why would you-"

He held up a hand, and she stopped. Something reminded her of Stoick when he did that… He spoke before she could think on it further. "You know why I'm asking," he gently replied.

Astrid thought about it, her face portraying her confusion. And then she realized what he was referring to. That blasted secret that he was hiding from her. "Oh…" she looked at her boots abashedly.

The corner of Hiccup's mouth twitched. He took a deep breath through his nose, his eyes not leaving her face for a moment. "If you must know, yes, I'm hiding something from you. Yes, a few people know about it before you. But it's not something that is bad. We talked about this, remember?"

He cocked his head down to make her look at him. She sat up straight when she noticed, and he smiled. He scooted foreword, crossing his legs and sitting close so their legs touched. Reaching forward and taking her hands in his, he slowly stroked them with his thumbs.

He looked back into her eyes and slowly asked, "Do you trust me?"

Astrid caught his meaning this time, and slowly nodded. Whatever secret he was withholding from her was special… it had to be beyond special if he was stressing it this much. What could it possibly be?

"How much longer do I have to wait?" She asked with a little whine, looking back down at their hands.

Hiccup breathed a short laugh and kissed her forehead. "Not long now."

Astrid lifted her head and stroked the side of his nose with hers, sending shivers up his spine. "I suppose I can wait a _little_ longer."

"I sure hope so. Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise." Hiccup breathed, his eyes darting from hers to her mouth.

Astrid smirked and widened the gap between their faces, leaning back against the boulder again just to tease him. He frowned playfully, "What's that look for?"

Her face didn't change, yet she whispered. "Why don't you come over here and find out?"

Hiccup thought about it for a second. Here was his (hopefully) future bride sitting in front of him and beckoning him closer… and he just couldn't venture forward. To kiss her now would make things too difficult. He would probably blurt it out while he was getting lost in the moment and then their conversation would be for nothing. Still… she did expect him to do something. He grinned at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" he asked, his grin stretching wider at the look on her face: bemused but still mischievous.

"Oh yes." She said, leaning forward a hair. "Unless you're scared."

"Oh I'm not scared." Hiccup suddenly leaned forward and grabbed her around the waist.

Astrid let out a small squeak of surprise as Hiccup stood up and she felt her feet leave the ground. He began to carry her over toward the pond.

"Don't you dare!" she shrieked, now flailing her arms and legs about.

"What, you asked for it!" Hiccup teased, gripping her torso as hard as he could.

As soon as he reached the shore, he threw his body forward so that Astrid would hit the water on her back. She screamed indignantly as most of her body was submerged but her reflexes were lightning fast as she grasped Hiccup's upper arm on the way down, now pulling him down with her. His entire head sank under the surface of the water for a moment and when he emerged, he flipped his hair around causing droplets of water to fly in all directions.

"Hey!" he shouted, grinning from ear to ear. "You're going to pay for that!"

"Catch me first!" Astrid began to run away from him and deeper into the water.

Hiccup wasn't much of a swimmer even when he had two feet. And with his prosthetic weighing him down, he was certainly not going to break any speed records. His shirt was also a thicker material and was weighing him down the wetter it became. He quickly popped off both his prosthetic and his shirt, and pitched them at the shore before following his girlfriend deeper into the pond. While her back was turned to him he took a silent breath and dove under the water.

Astrid whipped around, splashing water in his direction…but he wasn't there.

"Hiccup?" she asked, turning around in all directions in search of him.

A pair of hands gripped her waist suddenly and she screamed as Hiccup tugged her under. She was stronger than him in water, therefore he was unsuccessful. He emerged, his hair dripping and his mouth spraying water in all directions. She turned and flailed, slapping his bare chest (when had _that_ happened?) so hard it would surely leave hand marks.

He arched his fingers up the sides of her waist, making her howl in laughter. His grin broadened, "I think I win!"

"Not… on your… life!" She cried in between laughs, putting her feet on his stomach and shoving off of him.

Hiccup reflexively grabbed by the ankle. "Where do you think _you're_ going?"

"Away from you!"

"Aw come on, baby, don't be like that-"

"Don't call me baby!"

He yanked her even closer, a flirtatious look on his face. "And what if I do?"

"I think you know the repercussions." Astrid stared hard into his eyes, doing her best to keep up the intimidating look. But the smile on his face, their ragged breathing, his bare toned chest right in front of her… there was no way.

She let up the look, but did give him a good slap. "Ow!" He whined. "Not when I'm wet!"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Don't be a baby."

"Okay, so I can't call you baby, which is in fact a good name, but you can call me _a_ baby, which is in fact derogatory." Hiccup deadpanned.

"Hey, you said it; not me." Astrid shrugged.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, but couldn't hide the smile. Toothless drifted over to them, using his tail as a rudder. He sprayed water in their faces when he exhaled, a few bubbles drifting past them.

"Toothless…" Hiccup flicked his dragon's nose.

Toothless stared at him, and then glanced at Astrid. Hiccup looked from one to the other, Astrid watching on with an amused smile. "I think he's trying to tell you something."

The Adam's apple in Hiccup's throat bobbed. "Y-yeah, probably-"

Toothless moaned deep in his throat for a moment. Hiccup stared at him hard. When Toothless' eyes flicked back to Astrid again, Hiccup followed suit. Bubbles erupted from Toothless' submerged snout as he chortled.

Hiccup shoved his friend's nose away. "Be quiet, you…"

Astrid put a hand to her mouth to hide her laugh. Shirtless as he was, she could easily see the tone of red creeping up the back of his neck. "Sometimes I wish dragons could talk. I would love to know what he's actually saying."

Hiccup deadpanned. "Probably something vastly inappropriate."

Toothless chortled again from a few feet away, actually sending ripples through the water. In the water they could even feel the vibrations coming from his thick chest.

Astrid sighed and leaned her head back into the water, her ears going under and muting the sounds of the cove. Hiccup watched her relax and he couldn't help the loving smile that crossed his face.

She looked over at him, raising an eyebrow. "What?" She raised her head.

Hiccup shook his head. "Ah nothing." He looked up at the sky, noting the oncoming sunset. "Well, we should probably get out so we are dry enough when we get back."

"Yeah." Astrid agreed.

The couple treaded through the water side by side until it was shallow enough to wade to the shore. Hiccup waited in the shallows while Astrid retrieved his prosthetic, tossing it to him in a splash. He clipped it back on and joined her onshore, picking up his shirt.

"Meh, got wetter than I thought. Stormfly," He called, hanging the garment on a thick branch. "A little heat?" Stormfly blasted a small fire underneath the branch, the heat carrying up to dry the shirt.

"Thanks girl." Hiccup patted her nose and turned back to Astrid.

She was wringing out her hair, her headband lying on a rock beside her and her hair ties on her wrist. His eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't seen her hair outside of its single braid in a long time. He couldn't remember when he last saw it down.

In fact, it was a lot longer than he expected. Her hair hung past the middle of her waist, almost to her lower back. Apparently the braid made it a lot shorter; then again, it wasn't just any old braid. It looked like it had a ton of twists and turns to it. Man, hairdos were complicated-

"You just going to stand there staring at me?"

Hiccup blinked. "Ahh… sorry." He confessed, having no other response.

Astrid giggled. "It's fine. You just looked deep in thought."

"I was."

"What were you thinking about?"

"Your hair," He admitted, walking over to her. "It's really long."

"Yeah… I need to get it cut."

"Wha? No, don't!" Hiccup interjected. Astrid raised a surprised eyebrow at his outburst, and he looked away shyly. "I… I like it."

Astrid sighed. "It's so hard to take care of when it gets this long."

Hiccup looked back at her, his embarrassment gone. He shrugged, "It's your hair though. Don't make yourself uncomfortable because of what makes me happy."

Astrid gave him a gentle, almost innocent look. "But I like making you happy."

A warm feeling warmed his chest when she said that. He smiled, but couldn't think of a response. Instead he resorted to rubbing the back of his neck and looking away.

Astrid glanced behind him. "You might want to check your shirt before it goes up in flames."

"Ah!" Hiccup whirled around, his one shoe squishing with the water inside it. The shirt was fine and mostly dry, so he pulled it down.

Astrid watched him almost sadly as he put his shirt back on. He was more toned than he appeared. She knew from seeing him in the forge so often that his arms were strong and anyone who rode a dragon half as often as he did had strong legs—so why didn't she think his torso would be just as muscular?

"You just going to stand there staring at me?" Hiccup echoed softly.

Astrid blinked just as he had and a little heat gathered at her cheeks. She gathered her hair up at the base of her neck and tied it into a messy bun. Hiccup noticed how much she looked like her mother when she wore it down like that.

"Well we better go before our feet turn to prunes inside our sopping shoes." Astrid joked, picking up her headband.

Hiccup grinned and held out his hand to her. She pressed her palm into his, intertwining their fingers as they walked. Toothless and Stormfly both scampered on ahead as they had earlier; it was almost as if the dragons were trying to give the couple some alone time.

They walked in silence as they walked, Hiccup holding her hand tight against his. Astrid had noticed his fingers lightly shaking when she first grasped them, and now wondered if he held her hand so tight to steady them. Was he… nervous about something?

"Are you okay?" she quietly asked, nearing the edge of the forest where the village lay just beyond.

Hiccup looked at her quickly. "Yeah. Just enjoying the silence."

She knew he was covering up his nervousness by pinning his silence on the hour. She knew not to ask questions from their previous talk… but something was nagging at the back of her mind. If only she could put her finger on it…

They reached the forest line too soon. They released hands and stared at each other for a moment, Hiccup shoving his hands in his pockets. The crickets chirped around them, a few dragon roars could be heard in the distance mixed with hearty Viking laughter. But they tuned it all out, too engrossed in each other to care.

"You're so pretty…" he whispered.

Astrid smiled at him for a moment before suddenly sliding her arms around his middle, her face nuzzling his chest. He was surprised at first, but hugged her tight to his body. The smell of her hair was enough to make him dizzy, but he stood firm, never wanting to let her go.

"I love you, Hiccup."

Her words only made his heart swell, and he held her tighter, burying his face in her neck. "I love you too, Astrid."

Astrid raised her head and nudged his face up with her nose. She planted a firm kiss on his lips, her hands gently resting on his cheeks. She pulled away slowly, pulling his lips with hers until they parted with a light smack to break the night silence. They blinked their eyes open again, neither wanting to leave; but she pulled away and walked toward the general direction of her home.

"Goodnight, Hiccup."

Hiccup nodded dumbly. "Y-yeah… night."

As soon as she was out of sight, he teetered and leaned against the nearest tree… which unfortunately was not substantial enough to hold his weight.

"WHOA!" He gasped as gravity took its course. He managed to grab the small spindly trunk as he went down. He hung just a few inches above the ground and rolled his eyes. "Clumsy-" A branch he held snapped and sent him flying. "Gah!"

He plopped his arms to the ground in a heap beside him, glaring at the small tree waving back into its original position. He rolled his eyes, "Thor, even the trees are mocking me."

**The end of this chapter was originally a butt load of fluff, but it occurred to me that it was getting kinda heavy. At least I feel like it. Like, this ending kiss was softer and sweeter, so ending it here didn't bother me at all. I originally had more kissing in the cove, and it is a great scene, but it felt like too much. KatieMarie999 agreed, so I'll get that scene to you a lil later.**

**I just don't want to get too carried away with fluff; we all love it, I'm not exception, but, let's be honest, romance isn't all about the kissing. No relationship lasts forever if that's the focus.**

**But I won't lecture you guys on morality; we're here to read and write, not lecture haha**

**This chapter was super fun to write, and again thanks to my awesome new Beta KatieMarie999 for her amazing help! I'm so happy to have found her; I can finally bounce ideas off someone and fangirl over things I love!**

**Btw: I heard a little rumor that HTTYD2's second big actual trailer is coming out Christmas day. Just thought I'd inform you guys; Merry Christmas, ho ho ho, and all that jazz ;)**

**Well enough rambling from me (who knows if anyone actually reads all this anyway). Let me know what you think! Next chapter will make the countdown to 1 day til the Proposal! Who's ready?!**

**~EmK**


	8. Anticipation

**Yikes, this chapter is so puny compared to what I usually do. Sorry for that guys, but it all just kinda ran out at the end. It's still a good chapter, but I'm so excited to get the next two chapters! EEP cuteness ahead! ;D**

**Well it's short, but I hope you still enjoy it. Thanks to KateMarie999 for the help in the first part!**

**Chapter 8: Anticipation**

Hiccup stared at the ceiling with his arms crossed behind his head. Toothless snored softly from his slab of rock a few feet away, oblivious to his rider's wakefulness. He had woken an hour prior to now, his body deciding that it was time to wake up and smell the roses.

Or just start stressing and panicking. That sounded more like it.

His stomach knotted and twisted every few minutes at the thought of proposing. "It's tomorrow…" he whispered to himself, trying to alleviate some of the butterflies. Maybe saying it out loud would make it better. "I love Astrid Hofferson, and tomorrow I'm asking her to marry me."

Toothless' ear twitched at the sound of soft words coming from his rider's lips. Hiccup's stomach rolled again and he flipped to his side with a groan, covering his head with his blanket. "Stupid, stupid, stupid…" he muttered.

Toothless opened his eyes and watched his boy, wondering if he was just talking in his sleep as he usually did. But instinct told him otherwise; Hiccup had actual emotion in his voice this morning instead of the groggy, muffled, sluggish words reserved for talking in his sleep.

The dragon stood, stretched his limbs and yawned before padding over to Hiccup's bed. The young man's right arm dangled out from under the blanket, his fingertips nearly brushing the floor. Toothless nudged his arm with his nose and gave him a soft coo.

Hiccup sighed and emerged from the depths of his bed cover. "Hey bud…" he rubbed his dragon's nose. He lightly winced at the blisters covering his palm and fingers from more archery practice the night before.

Toothless hummed against his palm as if to ask what was wrong. The look in the dragon's eyes spoke for him.

"Eh… just life," Hiccup frowned, resting his head on his left elbow. "Nothing's normal anymore. A guy just can't catch a break from people, and when he does his own body turns against him and wakes him up before the dragon. And that's saying something."

Toothless' chest rumbled in a dragon chuckle. Hiccup cracked a smile. "Ah whatever… I'm just nervous. Which I shouldn't be considering I just told her I love her last night. Why is this any different?" He almost felt like a little kid back when he'd watch Astrid from the other end of the square thinking she was the prettiest thing to set foot in Berk. But the second she'd give him a glance, he'd clam up, say something stupid, or _do_ something stupid.

But it all turned out right in the end, didn't it? They loved each other; they knew they'd be together forever. Everyone knew they would be together forever, even other tribes who had visited (or attacked) in recent years. So why couldn't he just pop the blasted question now that the time was almost upon him?

Hiccup looked up at Toothless, who was looking up at the hatch in the ceiling. He smiled and threw off his covers, "Alright, enough moping. Let's fly."

The time would come soon enough, but he had to distract himself with something in the meantime.

**Xxx**

The boys landed at the edge of the square just as the soon was lifting over the horizon, sending a deep orange hue across the sky. Hiccup smiled up at the beautiful color, deciding that sunrises were more preferred over sunsets. He saw them less often, which made them more special.

Toothless lumbered to a barrel of fish nearby, sticking his head in instantly. Hiccup winced. "I hope those didn't belong to anyone in particular."

"No, they're just sitting out for no reason." A deep voice chuckled from behind him.

Hiccup turned and nearly jumped out of his skin: Olaf.

But he managed a smile. "Mornin'."

"Good morning," Olaf greeted, deeply taking in the brisk morning air. "You're up early."

Hiccup shrugged, "Yeah, I woke up a few hours ago."

"You always the early bird?"

"Sadly a certain Night Fury ground early mornings into me that first year together. Needless to say the latest I've slept in as of late has been seven in the morning." Hiccup shot Toothless a dirty look, who sniffed innocently.

Olaf chuckled. "Sounds like fun." He patted Toothless on the head when he sat between the two men. "So, Astrid tells me you've picked up archery."

Hiccup gulped and nodded. "Yeah…"

Olaf raised an eyebrow with a smirk. "Care to show me?"

Hiccup managed a short laugh. "Well that was the agreement."

"I thought you'd say that."

Olaf followed Hiccup to his house where he retrieved his bow and arrows. Toothless stood beside Olaf as Hiccup prepared the targets in the back yard and began to notch an arrow. However it was nearly impossible because his arms and hands shook so badly, and his fingers just wouldn't hold still long enough for him to properly hold an arrow.

Olaf finally rested a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup looked at him in surprise, but the man had a gentle, calm smile on his face. "Relax. She told me you were good; just pretend I'm not here."

Hiccup slowly exhaled and looked back at the target fifteen yards ahead of him. _I can do this…_ He raised the bow, notched the arrow. He focused on everything Astrid taught him, pulling the string taught against his lip.

_This is for you, Astrid…_

He released the arrow and it hit a perfect bull's eye.

Olaf raised his eyebrows, but Hiccup wasn't done. He wasn't sure really how much Olaf wanted to see, but he decided since he was focused that he would keep going. He aimed at some targets hanging in a tree and released three consecutive arrows, hitting all on center. The remaining eight targets on the ground or in trees fared no better—Hiccup's aim was precise.

Olaf finally slapped a hand on Hiccup's shoulder with a small laugh. "You really are good with a bow."

Hiccup let the bow rest at his side. "You'd think I would've figured it out years ago."

"Ah," Olaf shook his head. "It matters not when one learns. It is that one learns at all."

Hiccup smiled. "I'm glad you told me to do this. I wouldn't have done this by choice, but I'm glad that I have a way to protect people now."

The other man nodded. "It's amazing you can protect our people with Toothless. But if he happens to not be there, you will need a way to protect what is yours. This is a perfect example."

Hiccup nodded nervously, his mouth going dry. "So…"

Olaf stuck out a hand suddenly and Hiccup's insides tightened. He grasped his hand firmly, and Olaf heartily slapped the top of it with his other hand. "She's all yours, son."

Unexplainable joy blew up inside him and it was all Hiccup could do to not jump up and down in freak-out mode. "Thank you…" He managed to choke out, the joyful grin unable to come off his face.

Olaf pulled him in for a hug, almost as excited as the young man was. Hiccup suddenly realized not only how wise the man was, but also how loving. He really cared about his daughter like nothing else, but it was clear that Olaf would stand by him as if he was his own son.

They pulled away as a voice sounded from near the Haddock house. "Is the deal sealed then?"

The men watched Stoick walk toward them across the lawn, and both nodded. Stoick thumped his son on the back. "Ahh. Things are about to get a whole lot brighter around here."

Hiccup bounced on the balls of his feet. "Gods, I want to go ask her now."

"Go!" Olaf shooed him with a laugh.

"Nope." Stoick snorted with an eye roll. "He has a crazy system."

"It's not a crazy system; it's a method to my madness." Hiccup argued. "I have everything ready. I just have to cope through today-"

"You could just spare yourself the stress. You're giving me gray hair." Stoick sighed heavily.

Olaf slapped his chief on the shoulder. "Ahh, let him be Stoick. It's not every day a man proposes."

Hiccup smirked at his father, loving Olaf more and more each day. "You should take lessons from him, dad. He knows what he's talking about."

**Xxx**

The rest of the day was torture for Hiccup. He almost hoped he wouldn't see Astrid at all that day for fear of spilling the beans, but alas, she ended up by his side all day long. She joined him in the forge around ten in the morning, just to silently observe his work (although he was convinced his short sleeves had something to do with it).

Gobber and Gustav frequently complained or made gagging noises at their constant flirting, but the couple ignored them. However, Gustav stated at one point, "As long as I don't have to sit through any snogging lessons, I'm fine." The couple was sorely tempted to do it just to tease him, but they refrained.

Hiccup was especially not kissing her that day because he knew there would be no stopping his mouth from running faster than his thoughts. He would end up spoiling the surprise. No doubt about it.

Astrid left around noon to fetch the four of them some lunch, and came back with a basket of sandwiches and a few water packs. The group ate lunch together, chatting lightly about various things. Hiccup constantly poked Gustav to find out if he had a girl in his sights, but the young teen was very harsh in his gaze and refused to respond.

Gobber took a swig of his drink before turning to Hiccup. "What did you ever do with that gold?"

Hiccup snapped his gaze to him. Astrid and Gustav perked instantly. "You found gold? When? What did you make?"

He glared at Gobber hard, who raised an eyebrow. He could feel the back of his neck and ears beginning to burn at his own silence, but he would not, Odin curse him, he WOULD NOT spoil it now!

Gobber finally blinked. "OH! That's right, you made a r-"

Hiccup lunged forward and tackled him to the ground in a speed formerly unknown to him. Astrid jumped up. "Hiccup!"

"Shutup, Gobber!" Hiccup yelled, his knees pinning the older man down by the shoulders and his hands firmly clamped on his mouth. "SHUT. UP."

Gobber stared at him in confusion, then his eyes drifted to Astrid and they bugged. "Mmm! Imhhheshhhery!"

"What?" Hiccup narrowed his eyes, carefully removing his hands.

"Oh I forgot; I'm so sorry!" Gobber shouted, shoving the young man off of him.

"Forgot about what?" Astrid asked, raising an eyebrow at them.

"Nothing!" Both men shouted.

Astrid shared a skeptical glance with Gustav. "What did you make with the gold?" Gustav asked.

Hiccup slowly turned to Gobber with a glare deeper than the ocean. "I'm going to kill you." He whispered.

"It was an accident-"

"You couldn't ask when she wasn't-" He paused with a glance at his girlfriend. "You had to ask that NOW?!"

"Hiccup, would you just tell me what's going on?" Astrid finally asked, crossing her arms and gaining their attention. Hiccup's eyes widened. "What could be so imp-"

"Nope! Nope, we're not talking about it." Hiccup scrambled off the ground and walked around her.

"But-" She turned to look at him but he started banging on a bent sword seconds later, officially closing the conversation. She pouted, but knew she had to let it go. Her birthday was tomorrow after all; she could only hope and pray that she would _finally_ be told what the secret was by then.

If not? Odin help her boyfriend.

**Okay guys, the next chapter: the NEXT chapter is the Big Day! Hiccup's going to propose! So what's he got up his sleeve? Come back soon to find out!**

**And guys, I have to say: How to Train Your Dragon 2 Trailer 1?! OMGOSH. Most of my fangirling has long since passed, but man I was a nutcase living in a crazy house for a few days. I still get chills with some of the facial expressions or words the characters say. Gah! If you haven't watched it yet, GO. That's an order! :P ;)**

**Anywho, sorry again that the chapter's a little short. Hope you at least enjoyed it! Don't forget to review. Btw, thanks for all the positive feedback from everyone! I'm super excited that this HTTYD has taken off! (See what I did there? Eh? Ehhh? Okay yeah, I'm bad at puns.)**

**But thanks again guys! Proposal coming soon!**

**~EmK**


	9. The Trail

**PROPOSAL DAY IS HEEEEERRRREEEE! GAH This chapter could not have turned out more perfect! Aaaand 13 amazing pages ;D I won't keep you guys; enjoy!**

**P.S. This is one of two parts… Enjoy!**

**Chapter 9: The Trail**

Astrid walked through the village the next morning with a big smile—nearly a dozen people had already bid her a happy birthday when she left her house. Everyone was all smiles when they saw her. It was like everyone knew something she didn't.

She jogged up the steps to the Great Hall to join her friends for breakfast. They were all sitting at a different table than usual, which she thought was odd. They sat up on one of the platform tables that Stoick would usually sit at with the Chief's advisors and council.

Each of their faces brightened when she approached the table. Ruff and Tuff smirked a little at each other as Hiccup hopped up from his seat with a massive excited grin on his face.

"Happy birthday, beautiful!" He gave her a small kiss on the lips, completely catching her off guard. He rarely kissed her in public—all the time when they were alone and public figures would frequently barge in, but never purposefully in front of people.

"Well thank you, handsome," She smiled at him. His hair looked slightly damp at the edges, meaning he had washed it that morning, which would explain why he smelled _so_ good. She didn't know what he washed his hair with, but it smelled _amazing._ "What're you so excited about?"

Hiccup ushered her to sit down at the table beside Fishlegs, who happened to be grinning almost as widely as Hiccup. "What is going on?" Astrid asked again, looking up at Hiccup suspiciously.

Hiccup's smile only grew. He looked up, and she noticed his slight wink at her father and Stoick sitting together on the other side of the room. Her brow furrowed at how weird he was acting. If she didn't know any better, she might think he was drunk! Odin help her if that ever happened; he was clumsy to begin with. There would be no desire on her part to add alcohol to the mix!

Hiccup turned back to her as he pulled a piece of paper out of his belt. He held it up in front of her and she looked at it quizzically. "You're not allowed to open this until you eat breakfast first."

"What? Why? That's not fair."

"Because today is your day and you're going to be moving all day long." Hiccup smirked.

"Ohh so you've got something planned?" She quirked an eyebrow.

Hiccup breathed a laugh. "Oh I always have something planned." He slid the paper in front of her tauntingly, kissed her forehead and turned to walk away. "Confession number one."

Astrid stared at his back confusedly. Then she stared at the paper. It was neatly folded and held together in Hiccup's seal—one of his newest chiefly acquirements that he had to start using. She reached for the paper and all her friends stiffened or said, "No."

Astrid glared at them all. "Why?"

"He said to eat first."

"Since when do you guys follow any of his instructions?"

"He didn't give us those instructions. We could read that paper as you eat breakfast if we wanted to." Fishlegs replied.

"But luckily for us and unfortunately for you, we already know what it says." Snotlout took a sip of his morning mead. "Gosh, that's gotta be torturous! You should get eating-"

Astrid was out of her seat in seconds to get her breakfast. She muttered under her breath at their incompetence and the annoying torture her boyfriend just had to put her through. Her father stood beside her suddenly in line as he too grabbed a plate. "Get plenty, dear."

"Dad, come on, not you too!" Astrid whined.

He smiled at her small amount of food on her plate. "We all know you want to open that paper, but Hiccup doesn't want you to be hungry in two hours. Eat plenty because the next time you eat will be late afternoon."

Astrid narrowed her eyes at her father. "So you know all that he has planned?"

"Oh he may have filled me in," Olaf said vaguely. "Now get more food on that plate. The confession is waiting."

Astrid scowled at his back as he walked away. "Confession…" she mused. What did both men mean by confession? A confession of what?

She sat down beside Fishlegs again and began eating her food probably a little bit faster than necessary. She didn't scarf it down like a complete pig, but pretty close.

Snotlout snickered. "We're not going to take the paper away from you."

Astrid glared at him. "I've been trying to figure out this secret for the past month. The day finally comes and he _still_ makes me wait!"

"This is Hiccup we're talking about," Fishlegs patted her back. "You're in good hands."

Astrid ignored all other conversation as she ate the rest of her ham, eggs and biscuit. She glared at the paper the entire time until FINALLY her plate was empty. She snatched the plate up with her mouth still full.

"You should swallow." Tuffnut smirked. "OW!" He yelped when Astrid's foot collided with his leg under the table.

Astrid broke the seal and a small paper slid out from the bigger note. The small square read, "Did you get anything to drink?"

"GAH!" Astrid growled out loud. "Hiccup, seriously!?"

She stood up and stomped over to the barrels of water. She tried to ignore her friends' uproarious laughter; she may have even heard her father's and Stoick's in there somewhere. She stomped back over with a full mug and slammed it down on the table. Now Hiccup was just being annoying.

"I'll drink it in a minute." She growled as she opened the note, not waiting a minute longer and not caring who said what. She wished Hiccup were here so she could slap him.

She slowed her breathing as her fingers finally opened the note. At the top of the paper, Hiccup's left-handed handwriting had scrawled, "Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number One", and the center of the note read:

It was at this table that I first saw you. We were three, your hair was in two braids instead of one and I noticed your beautiful blue eyes even from across the room. From then on I needed no convincing, and I haven't needed it since—you are the most beautiful girl on Berk.

I love you.

~HHH3

You'll find my next Confession at the bottom of the stairs leading to the Great Hall.

Astrid blinked and reread the note again. Wait… she looked around. They were sitting on the platform. So if he was three when he saw her for the first time, he had to have been sitting… _right _here. She blinked in surprise. "Wow… this is… wait." She turned to her friends, who were grinning. "Next confession?"

Ruffnut rolled her eyes but couldn't wipe off her smile. "Astrid, just follow the instructions. You're the queen of that. Just go where he tells you."

Astrid made a move to stand when Snotlout pointed at her mug. "Drink your water." She pursed her lips and chugged the drink halfway. She'd find more when she needed it; how long would this really last? Surely they were exaggerating things. She walked around the table and poured the rest of the cold water down Snotlout's shirt.

"Wow, really?"

"Yup. I'll see you guys later." Astrid nearly trotted out of the Great Hall in anticipation. What did he leave at the bottom of the stairs?

Tuffnut sent a victory fist toward Stoick and Olaf, who both nodded with smiles. "Here we go," Stoick smiled.

"The happiest day of my daughter's life has officially started." Olaf nodded as Astrid walked out the door.

"That it has. That it has."

**Xxx**

Astrid ran down the steps two at a time, her excitement mounting as she descended. She reached the bottom and found there, lying in the dirt just beyond the last step, another folded note. She picked it up and looked around, wondering if she'd see Hiccup anywhere. He was nowhere in sight.

She shrugged and tore open the note, wondering what this one would say. Her brow furrowed when she read:

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Two:

The same day I saw you for the first time, I ran down the stairs to try to meet you. I got pushed in the dirt by a bully before a certain beautiful blonde stood up for me and picked me up out of the dirt. It was at that moment that I wanted to be your friend.

I love you.

~HHH3

You'll find my next confession in front of your house.

Astrid tried to remember the first time she met Hiccup. It was all a blur since she had known him for so long… Though she did vaguely remember yelling at Snotlout for spitting dirt out everywhere and getting some on her skirt, and he had asked if Hiccup had tagged along. Something about her being crazy for being nice to him… or something.

She reread the note and smiled. How many confessions did he make for her? What else had he planned for today other than these notes? If he was that excited and if he had to surely bribe so many people not to spoil the surprise, then surely he had more up his sleeve. She tucked the note underneath the first to keep them in order and made the short trek to her house.

The third confession was leaned against a wooden post beside their family's porch steps. Astrid eagerly opened it and read:

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Three:

The plan as an 8-year-old was to apologize for the Terrible Terror bite on your right arm. I felt so awful about that to the point I couldn't sleep at night. But I was determined to make you feel better with some flowers. However, the spider, that disgusting vermin of Loki's lair had other plans, and I only pushed you farther away.

But I never gave up on you. I would never give up on someone so amazing.

I love you.

~HHH3

You'll find my next confession at the western beach.

Up to this point, number three made her heart melt the most. Her parents had recently reminded her of that incident. Hiccup really had come a long way… but hopefully she still had time to destroy his ridiculous fear of spiders. She placed confession three under the pile and turned away before a familiar voice called to her.

"Astrid, wait!"

"Ruff?" She asked when she turned around.

The blonde huffed for a moment, clearly out of breath. "Hiccup wanted me to tell you to go to your room next, then go to the next one."

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Umm… okay." She walked up her porch steps as Ruffnut dashed off, clearly not sticking around. Astrid shrugged. She'd never understand the young woman, so she never did ask questions.

A small note was sitting on her bedside table, but mysteriously, there was no seal. She thought this was weird, knowing that Hiccup was a little obsessive in the continuity department. Why would he seal some and not others?

She shrugged and read the note, which remained un-numbered:

Sometimes I watch you sleep at night from your window. Your gorgeous flowing locks cascading across your pillow, the moonlight catching the curves of your face… you're gorgeous, baby.

~HHH3

Astrid raised an eyebrow and snorted. If Hiccup ever watched her sleeping from her window, so help her, she would slap him. That was just awkward. She wondered about the legitimacy of the note, but made a mental note to close and lock her window at night from now on.

"Okay, so… the western beach," She mused as she clomped down the stairs and out the door. What had they ever done at the western beach? She was starting to get the feel for the notes—they were special memories of his before they started dating, or even before being friends. And if her intuition was correct, he'd have more recent notes laid out for later in the day.

It was a ten minute walk, but Astrid finally made it to the western beach. It was a little more secluded than other beaches near the village, which really made her wonder what his note would say. A few dunes still remained from those few weeks ago when she and her friends had had to dig out Barf and Belch. She rolled her eyes at the memory as she scanned the area for the note.

She was surprised to find Stoick standing on the beach a few yards down. Astrid walked over to him and he turned at her approaching footsteps. "How is it going?"

"Oh ya know," Astrid rolled her eyes but her smile was unmistakable. She held the notes tighter. "He's cryptic as always."

Stoick smirked and pulled another confession out of his belt. "Confession number four."

"Four?" Astrid asked as she took it. "Wouldn't it be number five?"

Stoick blinked in confusion. "Ah that's just what he told me to say."

"Hmm…" Astrid hummed as she opened the seal.

"I'll leave you to it. Have fun and happy birthday." Stoick patted her shoulder and walked off.

It was a few seconds later, but Astrid quickly turned. "Oh, thank you Stoick!" She looked back at the note, shocked at the content of this one. It wasn't what she had expected…

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number 4:

Your new axe was stuck in the ice, thrown there by a bully. The only one stupid enough to retrieve it was me. I nearly died getting it for you, but the thanks in your eyes made it worth it.

I love you.

~HHH3

My next confession will be found in Gobber's forge.

Guilt pinched Astrid's stomach at the memory of that day. When she read it again, she felt like she was thrown back in time as if being forced to relive it.

They were ten. Her Uncle Fearless Finn had just gotten his niece a new axe for Snoggletog and she carried it around everywhere she went. One bitter cold morning, Astrid joined Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruff and Tuff, and a tag-along Hiccup to take a walk through the village.

The walk had taken them to the western beach, where a group of 13 and 14-year-olds were gathered. One particular boy, who had a knack for being mean to younger kids began to push them all around, starting with Hiccup. She remembered being angry at him for always pushing people around; so angry was she in fact that she nearly cut off his toes with her axe!

The brutish boy shoved her to the ground in anger, ripped her axe from her hands and threw it onto the ice twenty feet out. The younger kids stared in horror at the action, the axe blade sticking straight into the ice with a dull crack.

Astrid remembered nearly tackling the boy into the snow in her anger. Maybe if she had been paying attention, or if anyone had ever paid any attention to him at all, they could have stopped him.

But no one saw the acutely small heir of the tribe walk steadily onto the ice until he was trying with all his might to pull out the axe.

"Hiccup, stop being an idiot!" Snotlout had yelled at him with the older kids. She remembered being frozen in shock. Why had he gone out there?

"Unless you want to be stupid enough to come out here and stop me, I'm getting Astrid's axe!" The small boy had yelled back.

Astrid remembered those next moments distinctly.

Hiccup finally yanked the axe out of the ice. He turned to walk away from the crack. He took one step toward the shore…

And the ice broke.

The voices of their screams, the older kids charging back to the village to get the adults, any adults, the shock of the icy waters lapping at the crater in the ice… those memories were burned into her mind's eye.

He was lucky. He shouldn't have lived. But he shot back through that hole and onto the ice like a seal, shaking and struggling to breathe.

The yelling adults could be heard running down the hill, Stoick's voice loudest among them. But how Hiccup had managed to pull himself out of the water, and drag himself away from the hole never ceased to amaze her.

It had taken precious time that he didn't have, but when he was finally in Stoick's arms, he was blue, his clothes frozen and his breathing ragged and shallow. Stoick had wrapped his cloak around his son and began to pick him up, but Hiccup croaked, "Wait."

He held his left hand out towards Astrid—it was still holding the axe. Olaf ushered her forward, and she slowly took it. She remembered her fingers brushing his and feeling panicked for a moment. No one should feel that cold. It wasn't natural.

But he did this to himself! He had been reckless, stupid! Granted she wanted her axe back, but he shouldn't have been so _stupid_!

But as she stared into his green eyes at that moment, when she pulled her axe back into her possession, she murmured, "Thank you."

And as Stoick carried him away, she swore that she had never before seen him look so happy.

Astrid blinked back to reality. She realized she was still standing on the beach, the note slightly crinkled in her tense fingers. She smoothed out the wrinkles slowly. Eleven years… that had happened eleven years ago. And she was just now discovering why he had gotten her axe back.

Because he couldn't stand seeing her unhappy face… and even at ten, he was willing to _sacrifice_ in order to make her happy.

A happy smile came to her face and she had to honestly force her eyes not to well up. "No no, none of that," She chided herself. She read Hiccup's instructions on where to find the next note, and looked out to the horizon.

She took a moment to breathe the salty air and silently thank the gods for such an amazing person in her life.

**Xxx**

"Man, she's already headed for number five!" Hiccup exclaimed as he left the forge, his father on his heels.

"Yes, but she's confused about the numbers," Stoick scratched under his helmet. "Frankly so am I."

"What's so confusing?" Hiccup raised a brow. "I just numbered them in order for future notice."

"Well," Stoick began, unsure. "When I said Confession number four like you instructed, she asked, 'you mean number five?' Sure enough, she already had four in her hands."

Hiccup stopped walking and looked at him with a deeply furrowed brow. "Did she say where she got it?"

"No."

Hiccup frowned, looking away. "Something stinks around here. And it's not the fish."

"Better keep an eye out then."

"I'm going to sick Toothless on whoever is messing around."

Stoick chuckled, "Come on, no one is going to spoil the ending. Now you better go before she catches up to you."

Hiccup smiled and picked up his pace again. "Oh don't you worry. She won't."

**Xxx**

Astrid's eyes scanned the forge five minutes later, hungrily searching for her next target: confession number five. A certain burly blonde with a long braided mustache waltzed in from the back room and threw her a greeting. "Hey there, Astrid!"

"Hey Gobber," She smiled distractedly, searching the work tables.

Gobber smirked. "Lookin' for his note, eh? It's over there."

Astrid followed his hooked arm to the shop window where confession number five lay. She skipped over to it and eagerly tore it open, surprising Gobber with her excitement.

"I don't think I've ever seen you so… girly."

Astrid stopped in the middle of reading a sentence to scowl at him. He gulped and shuffled away to hammer on a sword and she returned to the fifth confession:

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Five:

Six years ago, the same night I shot down Toothless, I witnessed a fireball bathe the most beautiful girl on Berk in a euphoric light, and it was all I could do to not go crazy then and there.

But I suppose I still went a little crazy in the end, didn't I?

I love you.

~HHH3

My next confession can be found in front of my house near the stairs.

Gobber peered over her shoulder and she allowed him to read it. "Did this really happen?"

"Ha! Sure did," Gobber smirked, thumbing his nose. "I had to drag him back in so he wouldn't run after you."

"Oh come on, he wasn't that bad." Astrid waved an arm. She tucked the fifth note under the others and paused. "Was he?"

"Pretty close."

Astrid breathed a laugh. "I had no idea he was so…"

"Lovesick? He used that word for a reason, ya know."

"I guess so. Alright, well I'm off to his house next. See you later!"

Gobber watched her run out of his shop toward the Haddock house. He had to smile as he remembered the days when Hiccup would stare at Astrid from the forge and he always had to thunk him on the head to get him to focus on the task at hand. It was a wonder he still had all his limbs- erm, well his two hands at any rate.

Astrid gazed up at the sun, realizing it was nearly noon already. She wasn't hungry at all with all the excitement and she had more than usual for breakfast; suddenly she was super thankful that Hiccup had made her stop and eat before getting started. His thoughtfulness never ceased to amaze her.

Even though it was _beyond_ annoying at the time.

She reached the top of the stairs and easily found the next note. The wind tousled her bangs as she read:

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Six:

I stood here at this exact spot when you kissed me for the first time. I still have no idea how I was able to talk afterwards, but I swear that in that moment you completely blew me away. I'd even go so far as to say that I haven't completely recovered since that day. No matter what happens, you will always have me by your side.

I love you.

~HHH3

My next confession will be found on my desk.

Astrid felt her heart warm up at this note, but she wasted no time in placing it under the others. Why did she feel like the more notes she read, the more emotional she felt? Gods, if he made her cry…

She entered the Haddock house without knocking, but it was empty. The noonday light spilled inside, lighting up the interior. She closed the door with her foot before running up the steps to Hiccup's loft room. Confession number seven was at the center of his desk alongside some other papers, which were surprisingly stacked in a neat pile on the edge of the desk. As she further looked through his room, she was surprised to find it _very_ clean. Not that he was usually messy, but he was a guy—some form of uncleanliness was expected. But even the floor looked like it had been _swept_.

She could get used to this.

Astrid chuckled to herself as she sat down on Hiccup's stool and tore open the note.

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Seven:

You insisted on helping me home after a crash on Toothless hurt my left leg. I was selfish and didn't want you to stay. But because I let you help me, I have since never felt more supported or more loved.

I love you.

~HHH3

You will find my next confession on your bedside table.

She remembered that day. They were seventeen when it happened. Stoick had been gone on a trip those few days and she had wanted Hiccup to go to the healer's, but he was being a stubborn oaf—he had resorted to lying on the ground limp as a rag doll in order to not go to the healer's. She rolled her eyes at that portion of the memory. He was such an idiot at times.

So she had taken him home instead. She made him sit at the kitchen table while she got ice, but when she came back with it and he was still sitting there with his prosthetic on and pant leg rolled down, she had frowned at him.

"Are you going to let me ice it?"

"I can do it when you're gone." Hiccup winced at the hurt in her eyes.

Astrid tried not to sound annoyed with him. "It's either me or the healer."

Hiccup huffed and looked away awkwardly. Why was he acting so… uncomfortable? "You've… you've never seen it without the prosthetic. You don't want to." He avoided eye contact as he spoke.

Astrid furrowed her brow, not accusingly, but in confusion. He was right; she hadn't ever seen his leg, but it had been two years… it couldn't still look that bad, could it? But if he was this uncomfortable about it, then she would have to tread lightly.

"Hey," She stepped toward him and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. His eyes met hers nervously. "I'm not going to hurt you or make fun of you. I just want to help. Let me help you."

Hiccup swallowed slowly before lightly nodding. He reached down and unclipped the prosthetic with shaky fingers—she couldn't believe how nervous he was. Had no one ever seen it before?

He set the prosthetic beside him on the table and shakily sighed, staring at his leg. She brushed a hand on his arm, surprised at how _uncomfortable_ he felt. "It's… it still hurts sometimes, so just be careful."

He made a move to pull up his pant leg, but Astrid tilted his chin toward her. "Always," she gently whispered.

He had stared at her for a moment before turning back to his leg with less nervous movements. When he rolled the leg up over his knee and the stump was exposed, she nearly gasped at the bruise forming on the outside. He really had hit it hard on that tree.

She found that she couldn't stop looking at it, which only made his ears and neck burn. It was strange to see a limb missing its bottom half, but his leg had healed remarkably in the past two years. The skin where the prosthetic attached was red and inflamed, especially around the incision scars. It had to hurt constantly.

But he never complained.

"It's bad, isn't it?" Hiccup whispered rhetorically as his girlfriend continued to gape at his bum leg.

Astrid looked back at him and, gripping the ice bag, shook her head. "No. I've seen much worse. You carry it well." She lightly pressed the ice bag to the bottom of his remaining leg, and he jerked, hands squeezing the edge of the table.

She watched his expression from her position on the floor, but he didn't make eye contact. It hit her how he had no one to talk to about his leg; had he ever talked about it? Surely he could talk to Gobber or Mulch… but they were older and Hiccup wasn't one to talk about how he felt. It had been two years… surely if anyone had ever seen it or talked to him about it, he wouldn't be feeling this awkward?

Or maybe it was just her. Maybe this was the last thing he ever wanted her to see. His scar of all scars, his biggest weakness at the hand of an enemy—it couldn't be easy.

Her eyes dropped back down to the stump, glad to notice that some of the swelling was going down. He probably was supposed to ice it often, but knowing Hiccup he probably never did. She gently removed her left hand from the ice pack and rested her fingertips on the incision.

He stiffened as her cold fingertips traced the scars. "What are you doing?" He whispered.

Astrid didn't reply. She didn't define him by his leg—it was a weakness, but he wasn't weak. And he needed to know that. She gently rested her lips against the worn, inflamed skin, lifting her eyes to his as she did so.

His eyes were wide, full of shock. She kissed his leg again and rested her cold left hand against it. "I could never think that you're weak, Hiccup," she whispered back. "This is only one part of you that proves just the opposite."

What happened next was so sudden and unexpected that she would never forget it. He blinked…

And a small tear streaked down his face.

Astrid had never in her life, not in all the years of being bullied, cast down, emotionally abused, heck even with the pain he went through every day with his leg, _never_ had she seen Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third _cry_.

And seeing him cry now put a dagger through her heart.

"Hiccup…" she whispered, setting the ice bag down and standing to hold him. They wrapped their arms around each other, a few more tears falling down his face. "I'm sorry…" she whispered over and over. "I'm so sorry, I didn't want to upset you."

"Are you kidding?" Hiccup sniffed and sat up. She hated how his face reddened when he cried, but the small smile on his face was unmistakable. He tried to say something but looked down when his throat constricted from emotion.

"Shh, it's okay; tell me." Astrid wiped the offensive tears off his handsome face with her thumbs.

Hiccup sniffed loudly and looked back up at her. "I've… I've never felt more loved by anyone."

Astrid's eyebrows furrowed in a sad frown and she rested her hands under his jaw. "Oh Hiccup…" she whispered. She pressed her lips to his in a warm kiss, and he hugged her closer to his chest. She felt more droplets wet her hands and she swiped her thumbs across his cheeks again.

She pulled away from the kiss and he buried his face in her shoulder. Astrid could hardly believe what was happening—once he started, he couldn't seem to stop. He had apparently mastered the silent cry years ago because he rarely made a noise, but she could feel her shoulder get wetter.

It was then that Astrid realized how much he didn't feel loved; how much support he really, truly needed when he was so good at handing it out to everyone else; how much pain he hid from everyone under a mask of innocence.

And it was then that she had made the decision: from then on, he would be supported; his pain would be her pain; and most of all, he would be loved.

**This chapter ended so beautifully I was gushing and squealing to myself. I'm so excited to write the next chapter! Thanks so much to KateMarie999 once again for helping me out with confession ideas! My two favorites to write were the ice scene bc it was so Hiccup, and I loved it, and the last one with Astrid helping Hiccup with his leg. There was just something about it that just clicked. Love love love!**

**Anywho, part two coming in a few days! Thanks SO MUCH for all the kind, encouraging reviews, guys! It means the world!**

**See you guys in a few days and Merry Christmas! ;D**

**~EmK**


	10. The Question

**Holy cow, almost 100 reviews guys! This is so amazing and exciting! I had no idea this story would completely take off. You guys are amazing and we officially have the most amazing fandom EVER! And then 103 followers AND 81 favorites!? I'm reeling, people; I had no idea this story would be so good! Gah! You guys make me happy Remember that as you read, okay? Haha**

**Which I should also say here that… *sigh* This lovely story that was so much fun to write is drawing to a close. That's right, THIS is the last chapter!**

**Whoa buddy, I'm babbling. Anyway; here we go guys! ENJOY!**

**Chapter 10: The Question**

Hiccup jogged through the forest, his last few notes tucked safely in his vest. He'd dropped off the last two reserved for the village, but now he had to book it to get the last six spread throughout the forest in their exact locations before Astrid got there. He wouldn't want to bump into her already; she'd surely follow him rather than continue on the trail.

He arrived at his next destination and placed the note in an easy spot for Astrid to find. As he turned to leave, he noticed a mint bush nearby and stopped to pull off a handful of leaves. As he jogged he popped a few into his mouth to freshen his breath, remembering how much Astrid loved the smell of mint.

He smiled to himself at that memory—that could've been another good note to make, but he hadn't thought of it. They had been walking back from the cove and ran into a mint bush; Astrid had nearly gone crazy, stuffing her pockets full of the herbal leaves. And when he dropped her off at her house later and she discovered the mint on his breath, he was quite pleased to discover that she didn't want to leave his lips.

Both of them had their own pleasure that only the other knew about. Astrid's was the smell of mint; he could get her to do almost anything if he tossed mint in her direction. He smiled at the thought of discovering his own; she'd read the note about that discovery before she would go to the forest.

He pulled the wad of soggy leaves out of his mouth, chucked them over his shoulder, and put a few more on his tongue. He actually found he liked the freshness of the herb. It was different than most flavors he was accustomed to, like fish, mutton, mead and bread, all of which had stronger flavors. But mint was a soft, delicate texture that didn't last long, but the memory of its taste lasted longer.

Hiccup hummed to himself and held up a mint leaf as he slowed to a walk. "Interesting plant…" he mused. He smiled suddenly, thinking maybe after he and Astrid were married he would ask Fishlegs to help him plant some mint in their yard. Surely his friend knew from his botany book how to care for mint.

He would find a way to do it either way. Astrid didn't get mint very often, which was another reason she loved it so much. He resolved in his mind to do it someday, but for now he had to finish planting his notes before his blonde beauty caught up with him.

Not even mint would stop her if she did.

**Xxx**

Astrid walked up to her house with a confused frown, looking down at confession seven. Why would Hiccup send her to the same place twice? He wasn't that disorganized. And the previous note in her room was kinda sketchy too…

She put the note away as she opened her front door, deciding to ask Hiccup about it later. Her parents were standing in the kitchen area when she walked in, and all three of their faces brightened.

"There's my birthday girl," Olaf gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She hugged him tight with a big smile as Phlegma asked, "How is it going dear?"

"Really well," Astrid smiled happily. She looked down at the notes in her hand. "I have seven so far. He said number eight would be here."

Her parents nodded. "Yes, he was here about fifteen minutes ago." Olaf winked. He leaned forward mischievously, "If you're fast, maybe you can catch up to him."

Phlegma smacked his arm, making him and Astrid laugh. "I don't know, I kind of like this," Astrid admitted, heading to the stairs. "The mystery of reading what memory he put down on each note. It's sweet."

Her parents watched her jump up the stairs two at a time and disappear from view. Phlegma emitted a sharp squeal of excitement as she walked back to the kitchen. Olaf whispered with a chuckle, "Not long now. Just another hour or so."

Astrid found confession number eight just where she found the assumed number four: on her bedside table. She sat on her bed, broke the seal and hoped that this one wouldn't be as creepy as the last one.

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Eight:

You had left a headband in the cove and told me you were going to take a walk to get it, instead of riding Stormfly. I went to a council meeting with my father, and halfway through we got a tip that a fire was taking over the entire forest. And the most terrifying moment of my life was realizing that my best friend and love of my life was trapped inside.

It's only by a miracle that we were able to find and save you. But I sat by your bedside for countless hours praying that you would wake up. I thank Odin every day that you are still alive, and I don't know what I would do without you.

I love you.

~HHH3

Confession number nine will be found in the Great Hall. Think back to our closest memories. You'll know where to find it.

Astrid still had the burn scars on her arms from that day. In fact, her skin still felt sensitive from the incident. It was only a year ago after all.

She remembered waking up, her breath hitching in her throat, her lungs burning and throat itchy and dry. Her body was stiff, aching and scorched. She had slowly turned her head to the left and there he was, hunched over the side of her bed, his hair brushing her waist, his head resting on his arm, and the fingers on his left hand lightly grasping hers.

She swallowed thickly, trying to say his name. But she found she couldn't. As she debated what to do, she noticed both his hands and wrists wrapped up. His tunic and pants also had burn marks all over them. He'd clearly been to the healer's by the look of his hands, but he didn't even go home to change clothes.

He had stayed by her side from the moment he was allowed.

Astrid looked around toward her window, surprised to see the pale dawn sky and a few twinkling stars. How long had she been asleep?

She turned back to her sleeping boyfriend. "Hiccup…" Her voice scratched, a small whistle in it. She cleared her throat, wishing she had water. Hiccup stayed asleep and didn't move a muscle. Astrid lifted her arm and set her hand on his head.

She gently grabbed a few strands of hair and pulled on them. "Hiccup…" she whispered again.

"Mmm…" He moaned and flinched, his right arm flopping out from under his head in annoyance. She had to smile—he was just too cute at this hour. But she needed him awake.

"Hiccup." She croaked louder and pulled on his hair tighter.

"Mmm stooooop…" He waved her hand away with a distinctly childish whine and looked up at the offensive hand. She nearly gasped at how exhausted he looked, let alone the burn mark on his neck that she hadn't noticed before.

He winced when she brushed her fingers against it, but his eyes suddenly widened when he realized where he was. "Astrid!" He lunged forward, wrapping his fingers around her face. "You're awake!"

She hated the raggedness of his voice, probably from too much smoke inhalation. "Yeah…" she whispered, running a hand through his hair by his right ear. Hiccup held her hand close to his mouth and kissed it firmly.

"I was so scared…" he whispered.

She saw the fear in his eyes and shook her head. "Shh, it's okay."

"No it's not," He frowned, leaning closer to her. "I almost lost you. I don't know what I would do without you." She swept his bangs away, hoping he wouldn't cry.

"Hey," She pulled him forward by his tunic so his face was looming over hers. "I'm right here," She whispered. Hiccup swallowed thickly and she realized he was shaking. "Hiccup, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." Hiccup nodded, trying to get a grip. "It's going to take a lot more than a little fire to get rid of me."

Hiccup breathed a laugh and shook his head, a cursed tear escaping from his right eye. "That fire wasn't little and you know it."

Astrid smiled, "No, I suppose not." She ran her thumb down his jawline, listening to the soft scratch of his facial hair against her skin. "Kiss me."

Hiccup didn't waste a moment of thought. He wrapped his lips around hers in a passionate kiss, all the fear and angst in his chest melting away and feeding into the kiss. Astrid was left reeling, her stomach twisting on itself. This was the most intimate, passionate kiss he had given her to date, and she was thankful for the early hour. Everyone else was asleep as the couple passionately kissed until they couldn't breathe.

Hiccup panted, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you. I love you so much."

Astrid breathed a laugh, her lips grasping his for a moment teasingly. "If this is what I get for almost dying, then maybe I should do it more often."

"No. Don't you ever do this to me again," He smirked, but his eyes were serious.

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Because I totally did this on purpose." He laughed and pulled her up for a hug. She slowly ran her fingers through his hair, making him sigh. She turned her mouth to his ear and whispered, "I love you too."

Astrid blinked her eyes open. She looked around her room. Not much had changed since that day; in fact, the only that had changed were a few new trinkets Hiccup had given her as of late. She stood to leave, but stopped to smooth out the wrinkles in her blanket. She couldn't wait to see him. But she had no idea how many more confessions she had yet to open.

She walked out of her room and down the stairs, surprised that her parents were no longer home. When had they left? She shrugged and walked out the door, heading to the Great Hall.

"'Think back to our closest memories. You'll know where to find it,'" she read aloud. "Oh Hiccup, you always were a hopeless cryptic."

A five minute walk later, she found herself walking through the massive doors of the Great Hall. She stood at the front for a moment, musing to herself, "Closest memories… What?" She asked herself with confusion lacing her voice. She smiled at the few people who caught her eye. She decided to walk around; maybe it would jog her memory.

Astrid walked around, glancing at every table and bench she sat at, especially her friends' table. But she found nothing.

"Where in the world did you put it, you crazy-" Astrid muttered before her eyes fell to one of the back corners of the Hall. "Oh." Her mouth broke into a mischievous smile. She walked to the corner and sure enough, number nine as sitting in the darkened depths. "Oh boy." She almost didn't need to read this one, but curiosity got the best of her.

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Nine:

You know the expression "she knocked me off my feet"? Well you literally do.

I love you.

~HHH3

Take our special route to the cove. You will find six more confessions on the way. The next one is near the rocks where I first met Toothless.

Astrid snickered into her hand, unable to hold it back. That was probably one the most funny memories she had with Hiccup, and for as long as she had known him, this happened only a little over a year ago. It was after a long night flight together but neither were tired enough to go home and go to bed. So they had come to the empty Great Hall and sat together in this very corner, talking for a while until their eyes started to droop.

"It's getting late…" Astrid finally mused.

"Yeah," Hiccup sighed in agreement. "Your dad's going to kill me for getting you home so late."

"My dad's not home, remember?"

"Oh yeah." Mr. Hofferson had gone on a council trip with Stoick and the other tribal leaders. "I forgot. But still, we should get home." Hiccup stood from the bench and held a hand out to Astrid. "Milady?"

Astrid smiled and took his hand. She stood beside him but instead of letting go, she clasped her fingers in between his. Astrid stared into his green eyes, accented by the candlelight between them. She had been alone with him for the past four hours, yet suddenly she was noticing how alone they really were.

He seemed to realize this at the same time, but couldn't pull his eyes away from hers. "We should go…" he whispered. He felt his heart pound a little faster against his ribcage when she took a step closer.

Astrid tilted her face up, her lips ghosting his, her breath mingling with his. "Yeah… probably."

Hiccup lips quirked in a suspicious smile and he cocked his head to the side a little. "So what are we waiting for?"

Astrid grabbed his tunic and pulled his lips to hers. Hiccup sighed and put his hands on her waist, sliding them up her ribcage and wrapping around her back. He normally didn't resort to touching when he kissed her but tonight he felt daring. And seeing as she only pressed herself closer to him, it couldn't be a bad thing, right?

Astrid slid her hands up his chest and onto his neck as she kissed him. Hiccup cocked his head to the right and nibbled her lip, making her lightly gasp. She wasn't one to lose battles, and this was certainly no exception… but she was definitely losing. He always joked that kissing was his favorite indoor sport; he was getting pretty stinking good at it.

To make matters "worse" Hiccup's lips left hers and they were suddenly on her neck. Astrid bit her lip and wrapped her fingers around his neck as he kissed just below her ear. A small laugh escaped him when she tried to close her lips to contain a moan, but it didn't work.

Astrid put her hands on his face and drew his lips back to hers, stepping even closer to him as she did. He sighed, pressing his body even closer to hers. Astrid slid her hands off his face and up into his shaggy dark hair, and he gasped.

Astrid nearly fell forward when Hiccup suddenly collapsed onto his back. Her arms and lips met air and she stared in a daze, confused as to where he went. Hiccup was just as confused when he found himself staring at the ceiling. He sat up shakily just as she looked down, both their breaths heavy.

He remembered what happened before she did, and the memory sent violent shivers down his spine. He grabbed the back of his neck and shivered as he gasped, "Don't… don't you ever do that again."

Astrid cocked her head. "What? What'd I do?" Then she remembered that she had pushed her hands through his hair. She had always wanted to do that for some reason but the action never seemed necessary at any other time. But now that she had finally done it, why did he… fall over? And why was he staring at her like that? Did he not like it?

She slowly crouched in front of him. "Why not?" She asked.

Hiccup nearly shivered again. "I don't know, but it completely incapacitated me. Don't you think that's a problem?" He stood up and dusted off his pants, not catching her evil smirk.

"No." Astrid stood back up in front of him. "No, I don't." Hiccup squeaked at her determined look and took a step back. "You're not going to deny your girlfriend something so simple as touching your _hair_ are you?" She asked in a sickly sweet yet daring voice.

Hiccup slowly walked backwards, Astrid following him effortlessly. He yelped when his back hit the back wall, and why he'd never know, but he stupidly pranced away into a corner. As soon as he got there, he groaned. "Idiot."

He faced his girlfriend, who was still looking at him with an intense expression. Why was she so bent on touching his hair? WHY? "Astrid really, I know my hair looks good but-"

"I'm not changing my mind on this one." Astrid genuinely smiled. He was cornered, so he couldn't escape. But she wanted him to enjoy this as well. He had gasped in a way that she had never heard him gasp before, and then he wiped out. She wanted to see if he would do it again.

"Relax," She whispered, resting her hands on his face. She could feel his heart pounding on her forearm. Astrid stared into his eyes with a smile as she rested her fingers at his temples and gently pushed them back through his hair.

Hiccup breath hitched in his throat and he closed his eyes. Astrid felt his knees shake a little, so she leaned him against the wall in case he would fall. She curved her fingers against his scalp and ran them down his neck, smiling when he bit his lip and moaned. He rested his forehead against hers and finally grasped one of her wrists with his hand. "Stop…" He nearly whimpered. "Stop it, you're driving me insane."

Astrid laughed, surprised at this new development. Apparently running her hands through his hair was the key to shutting him down. "Did you know about this?"

Hiccup opened his eyes and stared at her. "Of course not. I've never had a woman, let alone a beautiful one, run her hands through my hair before."

"You mean like this?" She whispered, sliding back up his hairline from his neck to his scalp.

Hiccup inhaled loudly, placing his hands on her waist. "Yup," he breathed. "Just like that."

Astrid giggled and tugged his hair by his left ear, tilting his head so she could kiss him. From then on she knew that kissing him would never be the same again. If he was ever winning, she now knew how to alleviate that.

As Astrid walked out of the Great Hall she reflected on the many battles she had one since that day. Hiccup had probably reflected on all those losses while writing the note—it wasn't a confession for nothing right? He was admitting to his losses now. This really was a special day.

**Xxx**

Hiccup hoisted himself high into a tree and stretched out on a limb. From this vantage point he would be able to see Astrid walk into the cove for the final two confessions. He sighed heavily, tired from the long trek of setting up his trail of confessions. But it wasn't over yet, and any exhaustion he felt was worth it.

He pulled the small box out of his pocket and studied it. He checked again for a thousandth time to be sure the ring was still inside, which it was. Now he had a little time to consider what to say. What else could he say? He'd already put an array of thoughts and emotions in his notes; but he had to tell her face to face as well. He had to wrap it up, and hope she sealed the deal.

He was counting on her to say yes… But what if she didn't? Gods, that would be an embarrassment… They'd probably never talk to each other again.

"Oh get a grip…" he muttered to himself. She was smart; she had to know what was coming. If she wasn't going to at least be happy with the day's events, why would she bother looking for the next note? He didn't need to worry. She would come; she would say yes.

So why was he still so nervous?

**Xxx**

If she hadn't been looking down, Astrid would have missed her next confession. She wasn't quite to the small clearing where she knew Hiccup had freed Toothless. The confession lay on the ground by a dead tree that had fallen, a few branches sticking out in different directions. She was confused as to what this note would say; she didn't remember any impressing moments here.

But as soon as she read it she rolled her eyes and spared a laugh. "Okay, you're never going to let me that down."

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Ten:

We were taking a walk through the woods about six months ago. You were upset with Snotlout and the Twins over something and you were venting to me. As we walked past this spot, you smacked a tree branch in your anger, and it came back and smacked you right back. In the face. Right over your right eye.

I'm sorry, but in that moment, your expression of embarrassment was the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

I love you.

~HHH3

Go to our tree. You'll find my next confession there.

Their tree was only a five minute walk away, to which she was glad. She was starting to get tired of walking around; it had to be nearly three in the afternoon now. But she knew the trail ended at the cove and she had five more to find. She smiled broadly to herself, knowing that she would see Hiccup soon.

Hopefully.

As soon as she reached their tree, Astrid found the note on the ground by the roots. A small stone lay on top of it to keep the wind from carrying it away. She picked up the note and smiled sweetly at the message inside:

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Eleven:

It's hard to believe that we carved our initials on this tree two summers ago. In that moment, I knew in my soul who I was destined to live for. I've had many doubts, but you have never come close to being one.

I love you.

~HHH3

Find your axe and you'll find my next confession.

Astrid's eyes burned when she looked up and ran her fingers across their initials that were deeply carved into the pine's bark. This tree held many memories for them—this was the tree Toothless dumped her in before her first spin through the skies; this was the tree Hiccup held her under during a storm that they accidentally got caught in and they had no way back to the village; and this was the tree where she carved her name under his, almost pledging herself to him in a way. This was the tree where she finally admitted to herself that she loved him.

Astrid looked up into the branches for a full minute to burn the image into her memory. She hoped this tree would never die. It felt like it was the symbol of their love for each other. But even if it did die one day, and it probably would, their love wouldn't. Of that, she had no doubts.

She sniffed loudly and blinked hard, determined not to get choked up. She turned away from the tree and glanced at Hiccup's instructions on where to find the next note. She paused for a second, her nose catching the minty sensation she so loved. She quickly located the bush and stuffed a few leaves in her mouth, then put more in her pockets. Turning back to Hiccup's instructions, she rolled her eyes; any other person would say, "Well where did you put it? It could be anywhere!" But she knew exactly what axe he referred to.

Astrid saw the axe protruding from the birch tree long before she stood before it. Before she picked the confession off the ground, she gave the axe a firm tug. She shook her head wistfully. It was a perfectly good axe and four months later, it was still stuck in the tree.

Astrid picked up the note and slowly opened it. She already knew what this one would be about in its context, but she still read it anyway.

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Twelve:

Tears that began from grief turned into laughter at this spot. Both ends of the spectrum represented a world of emotion and trust that we have for each other; a trust that neither of us can break, no matter the cost.

I love you.

~HHH3

My next confession will be found at the cliff edge, looking into the cove. Please don't fall!

Astrid lightly rolled her eyes at his final words on the paper. "Luckily for you I'm not that clumsy."

She remembered that day vividly. It was only four months ago that her beloved Granny passed away; the wonderful woman that taught her practically everything she knew aside from how to wield a weapon. Granny was small, thin, but she was loving, kind and compassionate. The woman had even given Hiccup a compassionate hug once when they were little (to which she was _insanely_ jealous at the time. How dare _her Granny_ give Hiccup the Useless a _hug_. Inconceivable!)

The funeral had come and gone, and Astrid remained silent. Neither Hiccup nor her parents could get a word out of her. The Twins even dumped water on her by a legitimate accident, and she hadn't even responded.

But finally, the next morning she grabbed her newest axe and headed to the woods. She walked until she was near the cove, far enough away from civilization where she felt comfortable. Hiccup had followed her without her knowledge and when she whipped around and threw the axe at a tree, both individuals let out a cry of terror. Hiccup managed to flail backwards and get out of harm's way, but the damage was nearly done.

"What is wrong with you!" Astrid shouted.

Hiccup stared at her, happy she was at least talking after two days. "Astrid-"

"No! Why are you here?" Astrid growled. "You know I want to be alone!"

Hiccup swallowed. "I just-"

"You know what? No. Just forget it." Astrid stomped away a few feet, turning her back on him. "Just go away."

She had fully expected that her impending wrath would scare him into leaving. But his hand on her shoulder made her flinch and she whirled around. "Astrid…" he shook his head lightly. Astrid ground her teeth at his expression, one of sadness and grief. What did he have to grieve over? It was _her_ grandmother who died! Who did he think he was? "She was an amazing woman. But she would want you to be happy-"

"And what exactly do_ you_ know of _my_ Granny?" Astrid breathed, her teeth clenched. Hiccup opened his mouth but she slapped his chest. "You know _nothing_! So just shutup!"

"Astrid, you're just upset. Come here." Hiccup held out his arms and took a step forward.

"Shut! Up!" Astrid balled her fist and punched his chest as hard as she could, but he only winced. He kept his arms out and advanced on her again. His expression was still gentle.

"Astrid, come here."

"NO! JUST SHUT UP AND GO AWAY!" Astrid screamed at him, hitting him as hard as she could, but his arms still wrapped around her body and held her close to his. She jabbed his ribcage with a final scream of rage before she felt her chest wracking with sobs.

She felt her knees weaken and Hiccup slipped to the ground with her, still holding her tight against his chest. Astrid twisted her fingers into his tunic, pressing her face into his sternum, trying to make sense of the cruel world. Of all the people in the world who had to die, why Granny? _Why?_

"I'm sorry, sweetheart…" Hiccup whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry."

Astrid cried into his chest until she had no more tears left to cry. Hiccup never made a complaint or a noise; he just held her close and stroked her back with his fingers until she was calm.

After a while Astrid finally sat up and wiped a hand down his front. "I got your shirt all wet…" She choked in a half smile.

Hiccup wiped off her wet face and smiled. "It'll dry."

"I'm sorry I hit you."

Hiccup shook his head. "You needed to get it out. Don't apologize."

"Will you say the same for the axe?"

"Well that's another story," Hiccup gave her his signature lopsided half smile. "I'm pretty sure you would have sliced me in two. Good thing the tree is a bit tougher."

Astrid sniffed. "But you're tough enough for me. That's all I could ever ask for."

Hiccup kissed her forehead chastely. "I would do anything for you. Remember that."

Astrid hugged him tightly for a moment before standing up. As Hiccup followed suit, Astrid walked back to the axe and tried to pull it out. She tugged for a few seconds, almost afraid of pulling her arm out of socket.

She finally let go and turned to Hiccup wryly. He was standing there with his arms crossed, prosthetic propped on a rock, expression amused. She wished she could slap that look off his face, but she really didn't want to hit him again. "I... I can't get it out."

Hiccup's smirk didn't falter. "Come on, it can't be that stuck."

"You try!"

Hiccup wiped the side of his mouth with his thumb and she rolled her eyes. "Like I said, anything for you." Hiccup grabbed the handle and yanked on it a few times. His feet slid closer to the tree trunk in his attempt. "Good grief, did you coat this axe in honey?"

"Don't be stupid. Let's both try. One... two... THREE!" The couple pulled with all their might, yet the axe still refused to budge. Astrid felt her hands slip just as Hiccup's wrenched from the handle.

"GAH!" They sprawled out in the dirt beyond the axe, Hiccup nearly squishing his girlfriend.

Hiccup looked down at her and sheepishly smiled. "It's a good thing I don't weigh a lot or you'd be smashed right now."

Astrid snorted in her throat and tried to stifle the giggles. But soon they were pouring out of her mouth before she could stop them. The laughter was contagious and soon the couple was out of breath, clutching their sides from laughing so hard.

"Oh my soul, make it stop!" Hiccup finally sighed.

Astrid leaned over him and kissed his lips. He sighed and opened his eyes again. "What was that for?"

"For being my everything," Astrid whispered.

Hiccup smiled at her broadly. "Again," he whispered. "Anything for you."

**Xxx**

Hiccup jerked to a sit-up position when he saw her emerge on the other side of the cove's cliff edge. He smiled broadly when she picked up confession number thirteen and read it. Strangely, she seemed to stiffen a bit as she read it, which he found odd; but hey, it had been a long day. Hopefully she was in a good mood!

He could barely contain his excitement when she left her position to make her way into the cove. He hopped down from the tree and had to force himself to walk, or else he'd get there before she made it inside. "Soon…" he whispered.

Soon.

**Xxx**

Baby, you got curves. Like you walked past me in the Great Hall the other day and dang, you have got the curviest curves I've ever seen. I like to stare at your butt when you turn around. You're hot, baby, and I love you.

~HHH3

Astrid stiffened and reread the note. Wow. Did Hiccup _really_ write this? I mean he was a guy, and most guys checked their special girls out to some extent, but… yikes. If he really did write this, they would need to have a talk.

But did he? It was missing the title; this was supposed to be number thirteen. And there were no instructions on how to find the next note. "Oh well…" She stuck it at the bottom of her pile and made her way to the cove's entrance. She'd just have to search for it, she supposed.

Unfortunately they held a lot of memories in there. It could be anywhere.

Looking down at the cove as she walked around the edge, she saw nothing of interest. Neither did she see her boyfriend, whom she hoped to find here. But he had to be around somewhere. He couldn't avoid her all day.

Astrid finally walked into the cove and waltzed around, unsure where to look. She didn't see any notes on the ground or by the water. Her eyes caught sight of the big boulder she liked to sit on and they lit up—there was a note on top.

She picked it up nervously. Was this fourteen or fifteen? She didn't want to get ahead in case fifteen was the biggest of them all. She broke the seal and peeked at the first few words…

It was fourteen. She bit her lip to contain her smile, but she opened it with steady hands.

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Fourteen:

Here the most beautiful girl on Berk sat sharpening her axe before twisting my arm, attacking me with said axe… and becoming the second Viking to ride and befriend a dragon. You were my first convert, my first friend aside from Toothless. I couldn't ask for anyone better than or as amazing as you.

I love you.

~HHH3

Astrid smiled, her heart swelling with happiness. Her chest tightened with excitement that she was finally on the last confession. Her eyes searched the bottom of the page and to her confusion, it read:

Turn around.

Astrid furrowed her brow and turned around. Hiccup was standing five feet behind her, a small smile on his face. She had to blink hard at him—he looked _amazing_ for some reason. Maybe it was all the romantic notes she had gotten or maybe he was dressed a little nicer in his long-sleeved blue tunic and brown pants, not in his beloved leather riding gear. But it took her a moment to smile and step toward him. She wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him, the stack of notes rustling his hair.

Astrid smiled and murmured into his ear. "I love you too…"

Hiccup breathed a laugh and tried to pull her back. "Oh, we're not done yet."

Astrid deeply inhaled his scent (did he seriously have to throw mint into the mix as well?) before pulling away. "We're not?"

Hiccup smiled and pulled the last note out of his belt. "Confession number fifteen." Astrid caught something in his eyes, something bright and excited; she couldn't place it but she felt like she should be getting something.

She gently took the note and smiled at him as she opened it. She only looked away to read its words:

Confessions of a Lovesick Viking Number Fifteen:

And here is the beginning of a new adventure that we can start together. Here is where the luckiest Viking will ask the most amazing woman in the world a very important question…

Something stirred in Astrid's chest and she looked up at Hiccup for guidance. His smile had grown and he stepped back with his left leg… and suddenly bent down to one knee.

Astrid gasped, her blue eyes wide, her heart leaping to her throat and pounding hard against her ribcage. She slapped a hand to her mouth in her shock, making Hiccup grin. That's what this was all about? The notes, the confessions, everyone's excitement for them in the village? All the secrets and planning? For weeks now! And she hadn't seen it!

Hiccup reached up and took her other hand. "Astrid…" His smile lessened but the glow in his eyes didn't waver. "I love you… so much. Words and notes can't even describe how important you are to me. You're the first person I think of every morning and the last thing I think about at night."

Astrid's eyes well up and she begged them to stop, but she had no command over them anymore. They kept filling as he continued, "You're my best friend. You're the only one who understands me, most of the time," He added wistfully, making her laugh and wipe an eye with the heel of her hand. The other spilled over, making tears run down her cheek. "You've supported me since day one. You're loyal, you're kind, you have a rapport with the village that I've learned from, and you protect what you love."

Astrid bit her lip, holding his hand tighter. Hiccup smiled a little wider. "I'm going to be chief one day. And there is only one person in the world that qualifies to help me lead our people. I've already talked to your dad and he gave his blessing. So…" Hiccup glanced down, letting go of her hand and pulling out a small black box. Astrid watched him open it and hold it up to her steadily; her eyes widened at the ring sitting inside.

That… that was a _ring_. Where had he gotten it? No one this far northwest had expensive jewelry. No one. And he was… he was offering it to her!

Her thoughts came to a halt when Hiccup looked up at her again with loving green eyes, a gentle smile on his face. "If you will have me, Astrid Hofferson, will you marry me?"

Hiccup just… He just… asked…

Astrid blinked and more tears ran down her cheeks. Gods, why was she doing this!? The man was PROPOSING and she's CRYING like a big BABY! What was WRONG with her!?

Astrid shook her head to clear her thoughts and Hiccup's eyes widened in horror. And then Astrid's widened in shock. "Yes! Yes! No I was shaking my head to clear my head, I'm sorry!" She cried out super fast and he nearly collapsed.

"Oh gods…" He sighed, staring up at her. "That right there…" He laughed a little. "That _right there_ was the worst thing you could've done. That was my worst nightmare come true."

"I'm sorry!" Astrid wiped her face, wiped off her hands, and smiled at him. She stepped closer to him and set her hands on his cheeks. She smiled at him lovingly and nodded. "Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, I would love to marry you."

Hiccup grinned before she was finished and nearly jumped to his feet. He snapped the ring box closed so it wouldn't fall out as he wrapped his arms around Astrid's waist and hugged her tight. Astrid hugged him back, nearly crying again from all the day's love and attention she had gotten…

She pulled him away and kissed him firmly. Hiccup held her face in his hands as best he could around the box, kissing her passionately. "I love you…" She whispered between kisses.

Hiccup pulled away, running a finger down her cheek lovingly. "I love you more."

Astrid quirked an eyebrow. "Impossible."

Hiccup grinned and sighed happily. "This is the best day of my life, by far."

Astrid ran a hand down his chest and looked at the box. "So what's the ring for?"

"Well," Hiccup opened the box and pulled out the ring, tossing the box over his shoulder. "Long story short, I found a little gold a couple weeks ago, and then Johann let me pick out a diamond. I decided I was going to make you a ring for a special occasion such as a prop-"

"Wait," Astrid picked the ring out of his hand. "You… you made this?"

"Well I didn't make the gold or the diamond." Astrid gave him a pointed look and he smiled. "Yeah, I… I made it. Took a long time." He rubbed the back of his neck as she took in every detail.

She looked inside the band and lightly inhaled. "You… you put our initials in there? _How_?"

Hiccup wiggled his eyebrows. "One of my many secrets."

"Hmph…" Astrid raised an eyebrow.

Hiccup sighed nervously. "Well… the moment of truth then." He picked up the ring and Astrid held out her left hand. His hand lightly shook as he slipped the ring onto her finger…

And it fit perfectly.

"It fits." Hiccup breathed. "Oh I can't believe it fits."

Astrid smiled at him lovingly. "It fits." She brought him in for another kiss, which he gladly accepted.

"So what did you think, then?" Hiccup asked a moment later. "Did I bore you with all the notes? Annoy you? Be honest."

Astrid shook her head. "Are you kidding? These were amazing… they're all so sweet. And a few were so unexpected."

"Like which ones?"

"Weeeeell," Astrid drawled, giving him a suspicious look. "Four and Thirteen were pretty… pretty unlike you."

Hiccup gave her a flabbergasted look. She pulled out number four and they read it:

Sometimes I watch you sleep at night from your window. Your gorgeous flowing locks cascading across your pillow, the moonlight catching the curves of your face… you're gorgeous, baby.

~HHH3

Hiccup's brow creased. "Wow. I did not write that. Not even my handwriting."

"I didn't think so, but I have to ask," Astrid gave him a serious look. "Do you?"

"No! Anytime I've watched you sleep was when you fell asleep on me at a random time. I never-"

"Okay okay, relax, I was just asking." Astrid patted his cheek and replaced the note. She dug in the pile for number thirteen. "Now this one, _this_ one was just… I don't know, Hiccup."

Hiccup gulped; thirteen was supposed to be romantic. But if she didn't think so, then what did it say? He took it from her hand and read it, and nearly choked.

Baby, you got curves. Like you walked past me in the Great Hall the other day and dang, you have got the curviest curves I've ever seen. I like to stare at your butt when you turn around. You're hot, baby, and I love you.

~HHH3

Hiccup stared at her with wide eyes and she nearly laughed. "Astrid, I swear I didn't write this."

She smiled, "I know. I would never expect you to write something like that." Her smile wiped off her face suddenly and she yelled out. "But I honestly wonder who _would_ write it!"

Snickers could be heard nearby and Hiccup sorely wished Toothless was present to blow their faces off. "Alright you two, come on out." How long had they been watching? Can't they catch a break?

Ruffnut and Tuffnut walked around a huge rock and Snotlout jumped out from behind a log ten feet away. "Good thing nothing super awkward happened." The dark-haired man stated plainly.

"How long have you guys been here?" Hiccup growled, arms crossed.

"Not long, not long," Tuffnut smacked his arm. "Just got here while you two were googly eyeing. Don't worry, if the village found out we bombarded your proposal, we'd be shipped off." He waved his hand through the air as if to portray the distance.

"Yeah, even I wouldn't allow that kind of stupidity." Ruffnut smiled, giving Astrid a small hug in congratulations.

Snotlout snorted. "Yeah. We just wanted to see Hiccup's reaction to number thirteen. Funny, right Hiccup?"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "What are you talking about? You perverts wrote that!"

"Oh yeah?" Snotlout grinned devilishly. "And who ever said it wasn't true?"

"Oh please, of course it's no-" Astrid glanced at Hiccup and her mouth fell open.

His neck was redder than a tomato and the scarlet color was slowly riding up to his cheeks. He looked away awkwardly and Astrid tried to bite back a laugh. So he _did_ check her out. And although she had been oblivious, apparently he hadn't been completely inconspicuous.

"Hiccup, my man, you need a lesson in Snotlout 101." Snotlout leaned against the tree trunk. "Never let your friends or your girl catch you checking her out. It only causes problems later."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes and stomped towards his cousin, who laughed and ran away. Hiccup would've run after him but instead he called, "I know secrets of yours too, dear cousin! I will have my revenge! You can COUNT on it!"

Tuffnut bumped his sister's arm. "What do you think Hiccup knows about Snotlout that we don't?"

"Oh believe you me," Hiccup muttered. "I know a few things. And soon enough, so will the village."

Astrid kissed his cheek. "It's okay."

Hiccup looked at her sheepishly before shrugging. "Oh well, what can you do?"

Astrid opened her mouth to reply, but a loud flutter of wings made them perk. The group looked up to see Fishlegs and Meatlug fly into the cove. "Hey, congratulations!"

"Thanks!" Hiccup and Astrid smiled, the new bride-to-be hugging his chest.

Fishlegs hovered in the air for a moment as he said, "You guys better hurry though. The party is about to start!" After that, Meatlug turned and flew back toward the village.

"Whoo-hoo! Party!" The Twins ran off, Snotlout following after them.

"Come on, lovebirds! The party's for you!"

Astrid looked up at her new fiancé. "Party?"

"It's mostly for you because it's your birthday. I originally planned it to be similar to how mine was for my twenty-first birthday. But now it's even more special." Hiccup kissed her lips firmly before linking fingers with hers and leading her out of the village.

"Thank you." Astrid smiled.

"For what?" Hiccup looked at her.

Astrid wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "For being my everything."

Hiccup breathed a laugh and planted a kiss on the top of her head. He breathed in her scent, memorizing everything about this moment to remember it forever. "Anything for you."

**Guys! IT'S DONE! Okay first off, thank you so much KateMarie999 for helping me to write this, being my beta and official person to bounce ideas off of! And THANK YOU for nagging me to get my butt writing! :) You're awesome and Idk how I survived w/o you! :)**

**And thank you guys too, for all of your faithful reading, kind reviews and PMs! I love you all! Thank you SO MUCH!**

**This story was so much fun to write and I'm so glad I did it. But now I have 2 announcements, and they go hand in hand. There's good news and bad news:**

**Now: here's the good news. There will be a sequel! I'm not sure about the title yet; possibly Testing the Vows. It's going to be so amazing guys! BUT! But. Hehe But it will NOT be all fluff and humor like this one. Oh no. Heh heh, I got angst, I got action, I got the gut-wrenching emotion that you guys are lookin' for.**

**So when this lovely fluffy story is over, don't forget about me okay? You have not seen the end of me. Noooo this is just the beginning ;D Muahaha Though I will say, this next story WILL have fluff and romance; they're going to be engaged after all haha**

**Now for the bad news: Life's goin a lil rough these days so there is no telling when updates will happen. K? So stick around but I'm super sorry if I am unfaithful in updates. I'll do my best of course, but I cannot guarantee anything at any given time.**

**But hey, I didn't think I'd be getting this chapter done tonight either. I just told one person through PM last night that it would be a miracle if I got this chapter done this week. Well look at me now! DONE! Yeah, you know who you are out there ;)**

**Okay, I better stop rambling and go to bed. Sequel coming ASAP guys! Stick around! Thanks again and I love you all!**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**~EmK**


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